Chemical Plant and System Operators
Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.
16,610 people do this job in the US. $78,120 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 22%
- 12%
- 66%
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, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 22%. Today's estimate: 22%.
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 . 19 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 20% | 50 min13 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 8% | 33 min17 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Direct workers engaged in operating machinery that regulates the flow of materials and products.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min13 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Interpret chemical reactions visible through sight glasses or on television monitors and review laboratory test reports for process adjustments.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals to verify conformity of process conditions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | 99%Half by now | |
| Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Confer with technical and supervisory personnel to report or resolve conditions affecting safety, efficiency, or product quality.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Turn valves to regulate flow of products or byproducts through agitator tanks, storage drums, or neutralizer tanks.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people |
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.
- Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders18% now, 18% by 2028
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders6% now, 6% by 2028
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators11% now, 11% by 2028
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers42% now, 47% by 2028
- Biomass Plant Technicians6% now, 7% by 2028
- Power Plant Operators41% now, 45% by 2028
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).