Chemical Technicians
Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control, maintenance of environmental standards, and other work involving experimental, theoretical, or practical application of chemistry and related sciences.
57,540 people do this job in the US. $60,390 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 21%
- 0%
- 79%
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, 9%. Today's estimate: 10%.
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 . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 14% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop new chemical engineering processes or production techniques.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 9% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | 0%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Design or fabricate experimental apparatus to develop new products or processes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Direct or monitor other workers producing chemical products.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 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.
- Chemists10% now, 60% by 2028
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians17% now, 55% by 2028
- Chemical Engineers4% now, 47% by 2028
- Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians10% now, 19% by 2028
- Chemical Plant and System Operators22% now, 22% by 2028
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians12% now, 62% 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).