- Leafly released a report that projects cannabis jobs to more than double by 2020, outpacing workforce gains in other industries
According to Cannabis Jobs Count report by Leafly, there are now more than 211,000 cannabis jobs across the United States. More than 64,000 of those jobs were added in 2018, a 44% increase over 2017. In 2017, the number of cannabis jobs grew 21% over 2016.
The report states that the rapid job growth will continue in the cannabis space. 2019 will show cannabis jobs to increase at least another 20%. That would be more than 250,000 people employed in the cannabis industry.
The report forecasts that cannabis jobs will grow by 110% from 2017 to 2020. In comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the fastest-growing employment figures over the next 10 years will be in:
- Home health care aides: expected to grow 47%.
- Wind turbine technicians: expected to increase 96%
- Solar voltaic installers: expected to grow 105%.
Amazingly, these gains reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics are projected to happen over the course of 10 years, while cannabis’ 110% growth will be 3 years.
What Is Funding This Growth?
34 states have legalized the use of medical cannabis, of which 10 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the adult use of cannabis. As a result, legal cannabis sales increased 34% nationwide in 2018, to $10.8 billion. This has contributed to the growth of several cannabis giants like Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) and Aurora (NYSE:ACB)
Article By: Fatimah Aminu
Fatimah is an experienced editor at various financial and consumer publishing houses. She obtained a master’s degree in Publishing from NYU, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree. She is currently earning a second masters degree at CUNY online in Psychology. Fatimah covers healthcare, cannabis and technology.