Canada: cannabis growers earn the highest salaries in the industry

According to a new study from Cannabis at Work, a Canadian employment agency specializing in cannabis, cannabis growers are in high demand and among the highest-paid workers in the cannabis industry. However, due to past prohibition, qualified growers are hard to find.

«If there's one area where we have trouble finding talent or skills, it's in the cultural aspect.» explains Alison McMahon, CEO of Cannabis at Work.

And even though cannabis can grow like a weed, running a crop of several hundred or even thousands of plants—funded by legal sources—requires a little more than just a green thumb. Companies are looking for candidates who combine knowledge, technical skills, and experience, sometimes from other horticultural industries.

With salaries exceeding 100,000$ per year, Alison McMahon notes that agricultural professionals around the world are beginning to turn their attention to cannabis.

«A few years ago, we almost had to convince people who were afraid of ruining their careers, and pay people a lot of money to get them to join the cannabis industry,» according to McMahon. «Today, there’s less hesitation.».

In the United States, 200,000 people are already employed in the legal cannabis industry. Following the future legalizing cannabis in Canada, the sector is expected to grow very strongly both in Canada and internationally.

«It’s already a crazy industry, and it’s going to get even wilder,» McMahon predicts. «We’ve seen new jobs that didn’t exist before, and I think we’re going to see even more. Right now, hiring in retail is about to pick up significantly.»