Job prospects Chemist in Ontario

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

Job opportunities in Ontario

Prospects over the next 3 years

Very good

The employment outlook will be very good for Chemists (NOC 21101) in Ontario for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

  • Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
  • Several positions will become available due to retirements.
  • There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

  • Chemical manufacturers mainly in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing
  • Scientific research and development firms

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

  • Investments in the biomanufacturing and life sciences sector, including in pharmaceutical research and production
  • Need for chemical products and processes to support environmental planning, food sciences, construction materials, and agricultural production
  • Some opportunities may arise in the petrochemical and industrial chemical manufacturing, particularly in the Windsor-Sarnia area of Ontario

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

  • In addition to formal education, experience in a particular field of chemistry such as pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, or organic chemistry may be preferred
  • Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) may be required to work in manufacturing settings.

Here are some key facts about Chemists in Ontario:

  • Approximately 8,800 people work in this occupation.
  • Chemists mainly work in the following sectors:
    • Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 42%
    • Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 12%
    • Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 10%
    • Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 7%
    • Food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing (NAICS 311, 312): 6%
  • 80% of chemists work all year, while 20% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 47 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
  • Less than 5% of chemists are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
  • The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
    • Men: 51% compared to 52% for all occupations
    • Women: 49% 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: less than 5% compared to 25% for all occupations
    • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
    • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
    • bachelor's degree: 46% compared to 24% for all occupations
    • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 50% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Legend

0 out of 5 stars
Undetermined
1 out of 5 stars
Very limited
2 out of 5 stars
Limited
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Moderate
4 out of 5 stars
Good
5 out of 5 stars
Very good

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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

Learn more

Labour Market Information Survey
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