Over the last year, the legal cannabis industry registered 22,952 new jobs, representing a 5.4% year-over-year increase and bringing the total number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by the industry to 440,445. That's according to the second annual Vangst Jobs Report.

“When we started Vangst, there were less than 50,000 full-time employees in the cannabis industry," Karson Humiston, Vangst founder and CEO, said in a Wednesday press release. "Less than a decade later, there are 440,445 full-time employees in cannabis, a number that will continue growing.”

In February, Vangst revealed that a majority of cannabis companies that were surveyed for its Cannabis Salary Guide said they would "expand hiring in core areas.” Humiston called 2024 "a turning point in the cannabis jobs landscape."

"We expect 2024 to mark a return to hiring and investment in our industry's greatest asset: our people," he said. "Talent and expertise are more valued than ever before."

See also: Hiring Surge Predicted In Cannabis Sector: Top 5 High-Paying Industry Roles In 2024

The growing trend in hiring will surely be one of the topics at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference on April 16 and 17, 2024.

Meanwhile, some of the key findings from the 2024 Vangst Jobs Report include:

• Michigan and Missouri have added more than 10,000 jobs each over the past year, leading the nation in the growing trend.
• California, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, which all legalized cannabis early on, saw the greatest job losses.
• Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland will be the hot job markets this year.
• New York and New Jersey added 2,050 and 4,870 jobs, respectively.

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is returning to Florida at a new venue in Hollywood, on April 16 and 17, 2024. The two-day event at The Diplomat Beach Resort will be a chance for entrepreneurs, both large and small, to network, learn and grow. Renowned for its trendsetting abilities and influence on the future of cannabis, mark your calendars – this conference is the go-to event of the year for the cannabis world.

Get your tickets now on bzcannabis.com – Prices will increase very soon!