Report: Marijuana Industry Job Postings Increased by 445% in 2017
According to data compiled by ZipRecruiter, the total number of marijuana industry job posts increased by 445% in 2017, compared to an increase of just 18% one year prior.
“In 2016 alone, nine states made marijuana (either medical or recreational) legal”, states a ZipRecruiter report. “Shortly after, the number of cannabis industry job posts rose dramatically.” According to their data, “the total number of industry job posts increased by 445% in 2017, compared to an increase of just 18% one year prior.”
The data “also shows that the cannabis industry is growing more rapidly than some of today’s fastest-growing fields. Year over year growth of job posts in the cannabis industry is outpacing both tech (254% growth) and healthcare (70% growth)— by some reports, there are 14% more legal marijuana workers than there are dental hygienists in the U.S.”
ZipRecruit’s Q4 data for 2017 “revealed an especially dramatic leap in the number of new cannabis industry job posts. The number of cannabis industry job posts increased 693% year over year and 79% quarter over quarter. This impressive growth can probably be attributed to SMBs preparing for the kick-off of retail cannabis sales in Q1 of 2018 in huge markets like California.”
The report shows that the top 5 MSAs (metropolitan statistical areas) with the highest total number of job posts in 2017 were concentrated in Colorado, California, and Washington. “When it comes to growth in this industry, we see the most significant growth in states that recently loosened their marijuana laws”, states ZipRecruiter. “Two out of the top 5 MSAs exhibiting the greatest job post growth are located in Florida, which legalized medical cannabis in 2016.”
Below are the MSAs with the most marijuana job openings, according to the report:
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Seattle, WA
- Miami, FL
- Portland, OR
- Las Vegas, NV
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Tallahassee, FL
The report concludes by stating that;
Not only does the legalization of cannabis create a safer and more stable market for medical and recreational users, but it also significantly drives job growth. In fact, analysis from New Frontier Data (a firm that focuses on the marijuana industry) found that the federal government could create at least $131.8 billion in tax revenueover the next eight years if cannabis were legalized in all 50 states. Their research suggests that federal legalization would immediately create 782,000 jobs, and the firm forecasts that that number would increase to 1.1 million jobs by 2025, including growers and retailers.