Total cannabis job opportunities in the U.S. rose 79 percent from 2018 to 2019 with an estimated 211,000 full-time employees in the space this year, according to a Vangst report outlined by Forbes. The analysis suggests that there will be 414,000 new jobs in the cannabis industry by 2021.
According to the report, high-demand positions include budtenders, brand ambassadors, cultivation technicians and directors, delivery drivers, and trimmers. Additionally, Vangst estimates that “on-demand talent” – freelancers and seasonal employees – will comprise about 40 percent of the average company’s workforce by 2020.
From January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018, Vangst saw a 690 percent increase in cannabis industry job postings on the platform, with a 16.1 percent salary increase over that same time span.
The report covers four main types of cannabis-specific jobs including cultivation, lab testing and cannabinoid extraction, manufacturing, and sales.
In August, Statistics Canada reported that the nation – which federally legalized cannabis last year – saw a near-quadruple increase in cannabis industry jobs from the previous year from 2,630 to 9,200. In 2017, Canada’s cannabis space accounted for just 1,438 jobs.
A report by Leafly and Whitney Economics released in May found that the U.S. cannabis industry added more than 64,000 jobs in 2018, a growth rate of 44 percent. In 2017, the increase in cannabis jobs in the U.S. was at just 21 percent.
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