Job prospects Chemist in British Columbia

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

Job opportunities in British Columbia

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Chemists (NOC 21101) in British Columbia for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
• Several positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

• Technical occupations in physical sciences continue to see a steady demand in British Columbia with exact demand varying from profession to profession. The Professional, scientific and technical services sector remains the third largest sector in B.C. by employment.

Here are some key facts about Chemists in British Columbia:

• Approximately 1,750 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Chemists mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 17%
  • Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 17%
  • Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 17%
  • Food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing (NAICS 311, 312): 8%
  • Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 95% compared to 78% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
• 77% of chemists work all year, while 23% 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 46 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of chemists are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 48% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 52% 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: 54% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 44% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "chemist" Chemists (NOC 21101) or across Canada.

Learn more