According to a new report out by international job and hiring platform Joblift, overall job growth in the medical marijuana sector is “outstripping the national average.” The company, which uses machine learning techniques and big data-based algorithms in its hiring platform analyzed over 3,300 online postings for medical marijuana jobs from the past year, constituting the whole of the sector. Still, the data found that while employment prospects in the cannabis space are trending upwards nationally, out in California, which has one of the largest legal cannabis economies of scale, job growth in the sector is declining.

Medical Marijuana Jobs, Interest On The Rise

Furthermore, according to the data collected by Joblift, public interest in the cannabis sector is on the rise. From the last half of 2017 through the first half of 2018, Google searches for medical marijuana jobs increased by a whopping 43 percent.

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Meanwhile, job postings themselves continue to rise, with Joblift finding a 24 percent increase in job postings during the first half of 2018 compared to the last half of 2017. In comparison, job postings for the whole of the U.S. labor market grew only 16 percent during the same period.

Asked about long-term prospects in the cannabis industry, a spokesperson for Joblift told PotNetwork that they believe it is an industry in which individuals can develop careers. “Based on our research, legal cannabis firms are hiring everyone from CDL truck drivers to business analysts, physicians, and lawyers,” the spokesperson told PotNetwork. “And it seems as though the industry will continue to flourish.”

Northeast States Flourish, California Falls

While the top three states, numbers-wise, regarding medical marijuana job postings from the last year were California, with 856; Florida, with 295; and New York, with 236, most of the sector’s growth is occurring in Northeastern states. Joblift’s report shows that Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York each saw the most significant increases in medical marijuana job postings over the first half of 2018 compared to the prior six months.

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Perhaps most shocking was the data out of California, which showed an 11 percent decrease in job postings during the same period, down to 363 from 407. According to the data pulled together by Joblift, New York holds the potential for the most job growth in the medical cannabis industry.

Highly Skilled Professionals Wanted

The cannabis industry continues to seek potential employees from a variety of sectors, with at least 15 percent of job postings requiring highly skilled professionals, according to the data from Joblift (highly skilled referring to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, etc.). While the overall all needs vary, the industry does appear to favor these highly skilled professionals. Still, opportunities abound for anyone willing to learn.

Interestingly, with the repeal of marijuana prohibition being so new in many regions, most of those with experience in cannabis may come directly from the black market. A spokesperson for Joblift told PotNetwork that it’s hard to surmise how black market experience could affect future job prospects in the sector.

“From the job postings we analyzed, it seems like a lot of employers are generally looking for employees, even at the entry level, who have a well-rounded knowledge of cannabis products,” the spokesperson told PotNetwork. “I'd imagine it wouldn't make much difference if that knowledge has been cultivated on the black market. After all, brew masters were certainly in demand after prohibition, right?”

Still, with the patchwork of state laws in the U.S., past legal infractions for former black market applicants may pose a problem. “In terms of prior convictions, that will probably depend on the marijuana laws of individual states,” the spokesperson said.