Professionals are in high demand throughout the cannabis industry
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As the cannabis industry matures in many states and more Americans than ever support federal legalization, companies and employees working in and with the industry have gained legitimacy. In fact, the industry has progressed to the point where both plant-touching and supplemental cannabis companies are now able to attract highly experienced cannabis professionals from other industries.
Cannabis and cannabis-related companies are not only hiring for industry-specific jobs, such as B. wellness consultants, brand ambassadors, cultivation agents and field specialists, but they also hire for jobs that can be found in a variety of industries across the supply chain. Even unique roles like budtender share skills that professionals in other industries can hone before making the move to cannabis.
Top 10 industry professionals left to join cannabis
There is no single industry from which professionals who enter the cannabis industry come from, nor is there a single type of job or level of occupation that the majority of professionals held prior to entering the cannabis industry.
According to Vangst’s 2022 report, An Analysis of the Cannabis Professional, entry-level, early-career, middle-level executives, managers, and executives are taking the plunge and bringing their skills and experience to the cannabis industry, doing everything from retail sales, to marketing , and supply chain logistics to engineering, food science, finance and more.
The Vangst researchers found that the majority of workers transitioning into the cannabis industry come from the retail sector. The full ranking of industries from which workers are moving is as follows:
- retail trade
- food services
- Professional Services
- manufacturing
- healthcare
- arts and entertainment
- marketing
- construction
- hospitality
- education
It turns out that the cannabis industry, while highly regulated, works much like any other industry that supplies products to consumers, and these cannabis companies need all the employees (and their skills and knowledge) that companies in different industries need. That doesn’t surprise anyone who has worked in the industry. It is just a fact that is finally gaining a wider understanding among those who have looked from the outside in.
Skills, experience and professionalism count
As part of his research, Vangst asked survey participants to indicate how many years of experience they had in the cannabis industry. The results may surprise you. In 2022, one in three cannabis industry workers (33.2%) will have less than one year of industry experience, and one in two workers (51.1%) will have less than two years of industry experience.
Overall, less than one in three cannabis workers (30.2%) have five or more years of industry experience. For an industry that’s very unique in terms of regulations, that’s not a lot of time. However, it could be argued that learning the nuances of the industry is easier than gaining transferrable skills and experience that can be applied to the cannabis industry.
Vangst reports that there is strong demand in the cannabis industry for professionals in marketing and sales roles, as well as roles in accounting, finance, IT and human resources. Professionals who make a successful transition into the cannabis industry possess a combination of job-related skills and critical soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, that can be applied to any job, company, or industry.
As more workers from other sectors enter the cannabis industry and the industry continues to gain legitimacy, it will continue to evolve in terms of professionalism. We are already seeing this through the growth of multi-state operators, mergers and acquisitions, investors and increased competition. As a result, cannabis and related businesses and brands need to increase the professionalism of their work environment, technology, marketing, branding, retail space, training and more to remain competitive.
What’s next for jobs and professionalism in the cannabis industry?
The future cannabis job market is expected to continue to grow and the cannabis industry will contribute to the local and state economy. A recent Federal Reserve Bank (Kansas City District) report found that legalizing cannabis at the state level is having a significant impact on the economy, creating jobs, generating tax revenues and improving real estate sales. These types of reports give the industry more legitimacy, likely leading to more professionals looking for cannabis industry jobs.
CannabizTeam’s 2022 Cannabis Industry Salary Guide reports that cannabis and cannabis-related companies are now able to meet or exceed the compensation packages offered by companies in other sectors, and that multi-state operators have been known to increase compensation packages to attract the best talent for high demand positions. These packages may include performance awards, extended benefits and retirement packages.
The bottom line is that the cannabis industry needs skilled professionals, and with improved industry awareness and competitive salary and benefit packages, more professionals are seriously considering making the move.
For professionals thinking of getting into the cannabis industry, networking is the best way to do it. Start brushing up on networking tips for cannabis professionals and learn the tips to be successful at cannabis networking events. Companies working in and with the cannabis industry have a variety of hiring needs, and specific cannabis industry experience is no longer a top priority for many hiring managers today.
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