Chemical Engineers
Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.
21,070 people do this job in the US. $125,040 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 83%
- 0%
- 17%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 4%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 15% | 3.3 work weeks4.2 work days to 2.4 work months | 0%Half by Dec 2029 | |
| Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 work weeks2.5 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 9% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Design measurement and control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory experiments and in pilot plant operations.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 8% | 1.7 work weeks1.7 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2029 | |
| Develop computer models of chemical processes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Perform laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and test proposed processes in small-scale operation, such as a pilot plant.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 7% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Design and plan layout of equipment.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 14%Half by Jul 2027 | |
| Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 3.3 work days | 1%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 2% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).