Top 10 Cannabis Industry Jobs
Cannabis Industry Jobs
If you are looking to find work in the cannabis market, check out our list of the top 10 marijuana industry jobs 2021. As the fastest-growing market in the nation, the cannabis industry added over 77,000 new full-time legal cannabis jobs last year. This year, cannabis employment is set to reach new heights. Will you be ready?
State of the Industry: Cannabis Jobs Now
2020 was a whirlwind year for the cannabis industry. COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders put a damper on the industry but it quickly rebounded with increased cannabis sales. Based on Leafly’s latest 2021 jobs report, the industry supported 321,000 full-time cannabis jobs as of January 2021. This total includes plant-touching and ancillary jobs.
In 2020, job growth doubled compared to 2019 numbers. The industry added 33,700 new jobs in 2019. In 2020, it added 77,300 full-time cannabis jobs.
Now that we are reaching herd immunity and businesses are opening up, we can expect cannabis companies to increase their hiring. It is up to you to be in the best position to get hired. If you are thinking of applying for cannabis work, here are the most popular jobs in 2021.
Top Cannabis Industry Jobs
1. Budtender Jobs
If you are a people person and you have experience working in retail, customer service, or hospitality industries, you are a perfect fit for the budtending job. As one of the most coveted entry-level jobs in the industry, you will be helping customers find the right strain or product for their specific needs. Checking IDs, answering patient questions, restocking inventory, and handling cash. It is all in a day’s work.
Average Salary: $14/hour
2. Bud Trimmer Jobs
After a long season of caring for a cannabis crop, post-harvest technicians, also known as bud trimmers, are responsible for cutting down branches, trimming large leaves, and harvesting cannabis flower buds according to brand standards. No experience is necessary, but the job requires repetitive movements, speedy trimming, and attention to detail.
Average Salary: $14/hour
3. Edibles Kitchen Assistant
If you can handle the heat, then you will do great as a cannabis kitchen assistant. Ideally, you will need previous kitchen experience or a culinary degree to get your foot in the door. Expect to prepare ingredients, operate industrial kitchen machinery, keep a clean and organized workspace, produce accurately dosed edibles, and package and label the final product.
Average Salary: $14/hour
4. Cannabis Production Technician
Production technicians, also called packagers, are excellent entry-level jobs for those with minimal experience and big career dreams. Working in a manufacturing facility, packagers must properly weigh, label, and package a wide range of cannabis products for sale. On your downtime, you will be cleaning and sanitizing your work area and equipment.
Average Salary: $13/hour
5. Extraction Technician
While not entirely an entry-level job, an extraction technician requires experience working in a lab or a related science degree. This job requires the operation of closed-loop extraction equipment using volatile solvents that can separate the active compounds to create a concentrated form of cannabis. Cannabis oil is the backbone of many infused products.
Average Salary: $17/hour
6. Marijuana Delivery Driver
If you have a clean driving record and a knack for customer service, you will make a great weed delivery driver. Drivers are responsible for transporting products from a retailer to a customer’s home in a timely manner. You will be checking IDs, handling payment, and tracking product inventory. If you like long commutes and weed, this is your perfect gig.
Average Salary: $14/hour
7. Cannabis Sales
Cannabis sales representatives must interact with current and potential clients. Essentially, you will be increasing brand awareness and identifying potential leads through phone or email. As a sales associate, you must be self-motivated, an excellent communicator, and able to understand every aspect of the company’s product line.
Average Salary: $30k-$100k/year
8. Master Grower Jobs
Head growers, also known as directors of cultivation or master growers, manage an entire growing operation. Decades of experience are necessary to even be considered for the job. You must be familiar with a variety of cultivation methods to manage everything from planting to harvest. Above all, you will need to know how to troubleshoot plant disorders and diseases.
Average Salary: $80k-$150k/year
9. Edibles Chef
Edible chefs are the creative minds behind today’s most popular infused products. As an edibles chef, you will be in charge of creating new and exciting infusions from scratch. You will be delegating assistants and supervisors to prepare workspaces and ingredients. It is up to you to create consistently dosed products that meet state and local guidelines.
Average Salary: $40k-$90k/year
10. Dispensary Manager
Do you have previous management and retail experience? You may be the perfect candidate to become a dispensary manager. Managers run the day-to-day operations of a retail store. Tasks involve hiring and training new employees, managing payroll, handling vendor relations, and remaining compliant with state and local guidelines. You also get paid handsomely.
Average Salary: $60k-$150k/year
Find Cannabis Work at Marijuana Job Finder
Are you ready to enter one of the most exciting and fulfilling job sectors in the world? Do you have what it takes to get hired by a cannabis company?
Find a wide range of entry-level, mid-level, and advanced cannabis industry jobs at Marijuana Job Finder, the #1 source for cannabis employment.