We’re a bit tired of talking about 2020 too… BUT we have to bring it up because it was such a critical year for job growth in the cannabis industry. And, with the recession, we know many of you are behind your screen googling “what’s the best industry to work in”… The good news is that ending cannabis prohibition could help get us out of the recession (6).
Cannabis continues to break-records as the fastest growing industry in the U.S. The worst year for economic growth since WWII — 2020 — ended up leading to sky-rocketing job growth in the cannabis industry.
According to Leafly’s Job Report 2021:
- The cannabis industry now employs 321,000 Americans, full-time (8)
- Employment has increased by about 77,300 since 2020 (7).
- Job growth in the cannabis industry has increased by about 27.5% every year since 2017 (1).
No industry comes close to that much growth.
But it’s hard to find this information just by googling “what’s the fastest growing industry in the U.S.?” or, “what’s the best industry to work in?” because cannabis jobs aren’t reported to the Department of Labor (you know, since cannabis is still federally illegal…) So mainstream discussions about job growth have been focused on technology and healthcare (4).
But despite the small obstacle of legality, cannabis continues to break-records as the fastest growing industry in the U.S. So we’re coming to you with the facts, kindly provided to the world by Leafly’s Job Report 2021. (1)
Just in case you’re meeting us for the first time… Hi, we’re FlowerHire, a cannabis recruiting agency. So, yes, our claim that cannabis is the best industry to work in is a bit biased, but numbers don’t lie. That’s why we’re backing up our claim with *facts* from Leafly. Reach out to the FlowerHire team HERE if you’re ready to jump in — headfirst — to the cannabis industry.
The fastest growing industry in the U.S. is providing the middle-class with work
In the past four years, the cannabis industry saw 161% job growth. To give you some context about how impressive this actually is, let’s look at some more statistics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2029 — or in about 8 years — these are the jobs that will have the most growth (2):
- Solar power installation will increase by 51%
- Wind turbine service tech will increase by 61%
- Nurse practitioners will increase by 52%
- Data analysis will increase by 35%
So, what do all these numbers actually mean? It means, that the cannabis industry has already grown 3 times the amount of growth that’s predicted in other fields in the next 8 years. And right now, there are more cannabis jobs than electrical engineers (1).
In 2018, Canada had to import workers to fill roles in the cannabis industry (5). The U.S. is still a few steps behind Canada, but nevertheless, we’re following closely behind.
Where can I find a job in cannabis?
According to Leafly, the top 10 states where you’re most likely to find a job in cannabis are (1):
- California — there are more cannabis workers than bank tellers.
- Colorado — cannabis is CO’s greatest economic success story and is leading the nation’s per-capita sales.
- Florida — a medical-only state is following closely behind CA and CO for most cannabis sales.
- Arizona — adult-use only just opened and the industry is thriving.
- Washington — cannabis is in the top 10 crops providing the most economic value to the evergreen state.
- Michigan — there are about equal numbers of cannabis workers to auto mechanics.
- Oregon — rising consumption increases the demand.
- Illinois — total sales tripled in 2020.
- Oklahoma — there are more cannabis workers than construction workers.
- Pennsylvania — increased its medical cannabis registry by 100,000 patients in the last year.
What state do you live in? Keep in mind, this list includes only the top 10 states where cannabis is rapidly growing… There are also opportunities in the other 27 states where medical or adult-use is legal. Cannabis is a job-creation machine.
Why is cannabis the best industry to work in?
Innovation. While other industries were busy shutting down during COVID, cannabis did what it does best: PIVOT.
The laws and regulations in the cannabis industry are constantly changing which means businesses are constantly pivoting to accommodate those new laws and regulations.
So while the cannabis industry is young, it’s heavily seasoned in resiliency. And when the world went into crisis-mode, cannabis went into pivot-mode and took immediate action.
Cannabis was deemed essential which opened the doors for curbside pickup, delivery, and limited indoor capacity. Dispensaries quickly saw the value in retail technology kiosks to maintain social distancing. Within weeks, the cannabis industry was taking on the pandemic, full-force.
So while working in cannabis can feel like a risk because of legality, know that the cannabis industry is driving fast into the future, ready to take down any barriers in its way.
But how can cannabis be the best industry to work in if it’s not legal?
Medical cannabis is now legal in 37 states nationwide. And 15 states, including Washington D.C., have legalized recreational cannabis.
In fact, there are…
- more cannabis workers than cops in Michigan
- more cannabis workers than plumbers in Florida
- more cannabis workers than paramedics, nationwide
- double the number of cannabis workers than dentists, nationwide (1)
In Canada, cannabis is completely legal. And Mexico is on track to legalize cannabis soon, which will be the largest market in the world (3). This means the U.S. will be sitting cozily between two fully legal countries — it’s only a matter of time before the U.S. gets on board.
Are you asking “what is the fastest growing industry” because YOU’RE ready to grow fast?
If so, you can learn more about finding work in the cannabis industry that fits you and read our guide on how to find your new job.
This conference is for you if you want to:
- Level-up your current cannabis career.
- Pivot your career within the cannabis industry.
- Break into the cannabis industry — even with no prior cannabis experience.
Can’t wait to see you there!
On your team,
