FP Cannabis Flash Survey: Industry Analysis for Construction, Healthcare, Hospitality, and Manufacturing Employers

Insights

10.08.24

When FP surveyed employers across the country about their position on testing applicants for cannabis and related topics, some interesting industry-specific information was revealed that could open eyes for those in construction, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing businesses. You can click here to find the full results from the all-employer survey, but read below if you want insights about your industry and find out what your peers and competitors are doing in this area.

Wide Range of Results About Pre-Hire Cannabis Testing

When the question was posed to all employers, 48% of respondents replied that they do not test their applicants for cannabis in the pre-hire process. When broken down by industry, we see a wide range of results varying from that average.

  • Construction: Only 29% of construction industry employers don’t test any applicants for cannabis.
  • Healthcare: 42% of healthcare employers do not engage in pre-hire cannabis testing.
  • Manufacturing: That same percentage (42%) holds true for the manufacturing industry.
  • Hospitality: Not surprisingly, a whopping 72% of hospitality employers do not test their applicants for cannabis.

Much More Likely to Test for Other Controlled Substances

More than half of employers that don’t test for cannabis (55%) continue to administer something akin to the classic five-panel drug test for applicants, checking applicants for controlled substances such as opiates, PCP, cocaine, or amphetamines.

  • Manufacturing: 70% of those manufacturing employers that choose not to test their applicants for cannabis will seek tests for other controlled substances.
  • Construction: Of the small percentage of construction employers that do not test for cannabis, 60% test for other controlled substances.
  • Healthcare: Similarly, 58% of healthcare employers that choose not to test for cannabis do test their applicants for other controlled substances.
  • Hospitality: Only 30% of the hospitality employers that don’t test for cannabis say that they test for other controlled substances.

Employers Considering Lowering Their Testing Bar for Cannabis

22% of those organizations that test their applicants for cannabis report that they are considering softening their stance in the near future, while an additional 29% say they are unsure if they will lower their guardrails. What do those numbers look like on an industry-specific basis?

  • Healthcare: Of the healthcare employers that conduct pre-hire cannabis testing, more than a third of them – 36% – are considering softening their position in the near future, while another 15% are unsure if they will.
  • Hospitality: Admittedly it’s a small sample size – since the vast percentage of hospitality employers don’t test for cannabis – but more than a quarter of employers in that industry that do test applicants for cannabis (27%) say they are considering softening their stance in the near future. And an additional 53% of employers say they are unsure what they will do in the near future.
  • Manufacturing: One out of five manufacturing employers (21%) that still test applicants for cannabis are considering softening their stance in the near future, while another 30% say they are unsure what they’ll do.
  • Construction: Only 18% of construction employers that test applicants for cannabis are considering softening their stance in the near future, and an additional 19% are unsure if they will do so.

Industry-Specific Employers That Test Applicants for Cannabis Face Recruiting Roadblocks

While close to half (44%) of employers that require pre-hire cannabis testing report that they have faced challenges in recruiting qualified candidates because of their policy, those numbers slightly increase when we take a closer look at industry-specific levels.

  • Hospitality: 53% of employers in the hospitality field that test for cannabis admit they have recruiting challenges.
  • Manufacturing: Exactly half of manufacturing employers – 50% – fall in that same camp.
  • Construction: Of the construction employers that test for cannabis at the pre-hire stage, 47% of them say their testing protocols present recruiting challenges.
  • Healthcare: As for healthcare employers that conduct pre-hire cannabis testing, 44% say their stance has led to recruiting challenges – the same percentage that holds true for all employers across the board.

Want More Data?

If you want to see the full results from the survey, click here to read our comprehensive Insight.

Conclusion

We will continue to monitor developments related to drug testing in the workplace. Make sure you are subscribed to Fisher Phillips’ Insight System to get the most up-to-date information. If you have questions, contact your Fisher Phillips attorney, the authors of this Insight, or any attorney on our industry-specific teams: Construction, Healthcare, Hospitality, or Manufacturing.

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