As South Africa’s cannabis industry evolves, a standardized salary structure is beginning to emerge. Although each cannabis operation is nuanced in terms of its needs and position in the business cycle, it’s also becoming clear that skills specialization is the key to a long-term career path in the sector.
With so much of the cannabis industry operating beyond regulatory reach it’s difficult to get a holistic picture of the employment landscape in South Africa, says Lourie Campher, co-founder of Ninth Wave, the continent’s first cannabis placement agency. His founding partner is Limpopo-based health recruitment specialist Liana Grobler.
Pressed for an educated guesstimate of the current cannabis job market, Campher replies:” I would say within the commercial market you would look at anywhere between 2 000 and 4 000 people based on the amount of facilities in the country and the amount of positions available in these facilities. These jobs range from general labourers all the way to senior personnel”
Campher says that he handles placements only in the legal commercial sector but says the ‘Grey Zone’ is employing thousands of people.
“ In the grey market if you look at the amount of outlets currently open between social clubs and dispensaries it could be anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people, maybe more”.
He says that the South African cannabis Job market is slowly but surely growing in all sectors. Demand is mainly in the medicinal and ‘Grey Zone’ sectors as the hemp industry’s focus is on rural development and has not grown sufficiently yet as to warrant a formal employment market.
“As there are more facilities being constructed within South Africa, the need for credible talent will inherently grow. On the other side of the spectrum, as the grey market evolves with more and more shops and dispensaries opening up, you will see an increase in the need for sales and marketing positions”.
Right now the job market remains limited by overall regulatory uncertainty. The jobs most in demand at a senior level are for experienced growers, responsible pharmacists and quality controllers and assessors, says Campher.
“Senior personnel can expect salaries hovering around R60,000 plus, depending on their qualifications, experience and expertise. There could also be added benefits like housing, car allowance etc.”
For anyone contemplating a career in the cannabis industry, specialization is the way to go, says Campher. Although a knowledge of the cannabis plant and the market is a prerequisite, anyone serious about getting involved in the industry needs to be driven by passion and develop a set of specialist skills.
For more information of getting a job in the South African cannabis industry, contact Campher at lourie@9thwave.co.za and check out their website here.
