Help wanted ‘behind the scenes’ in cannabis industry

A Toronto company seeking to hire five “cannabis connoisseurs” part time at $50 an hour has raised interest in what the legalized recreational pot industry has in store for the job market.

Turns out there are plenty more lucrative, and mainstream, gigs in the industry for Canadians with transferable skills, who hope for a higher wage but don’t necessarily want to smoke pot for their paycheque.

Website Indeed’s cannabis listings quadrupled between July 2017 and July 2018, and on Wednesday the site had more than 280 positions listed in British Columbia. While retail sales or “bud tender” positions in dispensaries were listed at $14 or $15 an hour, managerial salaries ranged from $45,000 to $90,000 a year, and executive roles were being offered for more than $100,000.

Meanwhile, B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, which is overseeing distribution and government retail sales, has listings for warehouse workers, customer service agents and senior roles.

Alison McMahon, CEO of Cannabis At Work, which recruits for major licensed producers and other cannabis businesses, said in the past six months more employers have been trying to fill behind-the-scenes positions in regulatory management, human resources and finance.

“As we get closer to legalization, and as these organizations that have been in the market mature, they have to build out that infrastructure internally, so we’re seeing a pretty big breadth in terms of the types of roles,” she said.

Cultivation workers have been trickier to hire because there’s a limited pool of people who have grown under the federally-regulated framework, and some employers are hesitant to hire experienced growers from the illicit market who have had charges and require security clearance.