Chemists
Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.
82,770 people do this job in the US. $91,240 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 64%
- 9%
- 27%
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, 6%. 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 . 12 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.Done daily by most who do it. | 29% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 14% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.5 work days | 9%Half by Jul 2027 | |
| Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1 work day | 43%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 11% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Evaluate laboratory safety procedures to ensure compliance with standards or to make improvements as needed.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Direct, coordinate, or advise personnel in test procedures for analyzing components or physical properties of materials.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Confer with scientists or engineers to conduct analyses of research projects, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct quality control tests.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Purchase laboratory supplies, such as chemicals, when supplies are low or near their expiration date.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 0.5% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now |
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).