Job prospects Chemical Engineer in British Columbia

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This occupation includes job titles whose primary duties and responsibilities lead to positive environmental outcomes. Job Bank uses a list of occupations that were identified as "green" through a task-based analysis conducted by the United States’ Occupational Information Network (O*NET), which was recognized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and adapted to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) in Canada. This list may change over time. Learn more.

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "chemical engineer" in British Columbia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in British Columbia

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Chemical engineers (NOC 21320) in British Columbia for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Employment opportunities for engineering professions continue to be strong. The high level of technical knowledge required for these positions makes recruitment difficult.

Here are some key facts about Chemical engineers in British Columbia:

• Approximately 1,050 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Chemical engineers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 28%
  • Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 11%
  • Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 10%
  • Computer, electronic and electrical product manufacturing (NAICS 334-335): 8%
  • Paper manufacturing (NAICS 322): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 93% compared to 78% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 7% compared to 22% for all occupations
• 80% of chemical engineers work all year, while 20% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 47 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 7% of chemical engineers are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 69% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 31% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: n/a
  • high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 57% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 40% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology