Chemical engineers
Career Overview
Chemical engineers:
- Research, design, and develop chemical processes and equipment
- Oversee the operation and maintenance of industrial chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, resource, pulp, and food processing plants
- Perform duties related to chemical quality control, environmental protection and biochemical or biotechnical engineering
- Work for a wide range of manufacturing and processing industries, consulting firms, government, research and educational institutions
Job Titles
Duties
Chemical engineers:
- Carry out economic and technical feasibility studies in areas related to chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, food or other processing industries
- Carry out research into the development or improvement of chemical engineering processes, reactions and materials
- Evaluate chemical process technology and equipment, and determine production specifications
- Design and test chemical processing, and associated plants and equipment
- Oversee the construction, modification, operation and maintenance of pilot plants, processing units or processing plants
- Create and carry out quality control programs, operating procedures and control strategies to ensure consistency and adherence to standards for raw materials, products and waste products or emissions
- Prepare contract documents and evaluate tenders for the process aspects of industrial construction
- Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers
- Work in an administrative capacity, for example, in the development of rules and specifications for the handling of dangerous chemicals, environmental protection, or standards for foods, materials and consumer goods
Special duties
Chemical engineers may specialize in the products and processes of industries such as pulp and paper manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, energy processing, plastics, metal extraction and refining, or adhesives and coatings production.
They may also specialize in areas that are in various industries such as process control, pollution control or fermentation processes.
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
1,010% Employed Full Time
78%Work in this occupation is typically performed in an indoor environment, where one may be exposed to chemicals or substances that may endanger health, while being in the presence of noxious, intense or prolonged odours.
Career Pathways
There is considerable mobility between chemical engineering specializations at the less senior levels.
Chemical engineers work closely with chemists and other scientists and engineers and mobility is possible between some fields of specialization.
These workers also often work in a multidisciplinary environment and acquire knowledge and skills through work experience that may allow them to practise in associated areas of science, engineering, sales, marketing or management.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required
- Master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.)
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Electrical, Electronic & Communications Engineering
- Engineering Science
- Chemical Engineering
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations and the environment will affect outcomes.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, while meeting the goals of the system.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
1,010Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 25 | 2.5% |
| Kootenay | 40 | 3.9% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 810 | 79.8% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 0 | 0.0% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 75 | 7.4% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 45 | 4.4% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
380Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 10 | 0.4% |
| Kootenay | 20 | -0.2% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 290 | 1.7% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 40 | 1.5% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 20 | 0.2% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 210 |
| Manufacturing | 110 |
| Public Administration | 10 |
| Wholesale Trade | 10 |
| Utilities | 10 |
Resources
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Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of British Columbia (ACEC-BC)www.acec-bc.ca
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Canadian Technology Immigration Network (CTIN)www.ctin.ca
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Chemical Institute of Canada – Career Resourceswww.cheminst.ca/career
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Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC)www.cheminst.ca
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Engineering Careerswww.engineeringcareers.ca
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Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC)www.eic-ici.ca
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Engineers & Geoscientists BCwww.egbc.ca
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Engineers Canadawww.engineerscanada.ca
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Iranian Engineers of British Columbia Association (IEBCA)www.iebca.ca/
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Society of Punjabi Engineers and Technologists of British Columbia (SPEATBC)www.speatbc.org
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Technology Registrations Canada (TRC)www.technologyregistrationscanada.ca
