Chemical Technician

A chemical technician supports chemists and chemical engineers in laboratories and production facilities by conducting routine analyses, preparing solutions and reagents, maintaining equipment, and recording experimental data. They work in pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, environmental testing, or research settings, following standard operating procedures and quality assurance protocols to ensure accuracy and safety in chemical processes.

Prepare chemical solutions, reagents, and standard calibration mixtures according to formulated recipes and concentration requirements. Conduct routine analytical testing using laboratory instruments such as HPLC, gas chromatographs, spectrophotometers, and pH meters. Calibrate and maintain laboratory equipment including balances, glassware, and analytical instruments to ensure accuracy and compliance with quality standards. Record experimental observations, test results, and instrumental readings in laboratory notebooks and electronic data management systems. Perform quality control checks on raw materials and finished products by testing for purity, concentration, and composition. Prepare samples for analysis by weighing, dissolving, diluting, and filtering chemical compounds. Clean and sterilise laboratory glassware and equipment using appropriate solvents and autoclaves. Safely handle hazardous chemicals and manage chemical waste according to Safe Work Australia guidelines and workplace safety procedures.

The standard entry pathway requires a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is repetitive and procedural: you'll spend most days running the same tests, mixing the same solutions, and entering data. Pay tops out quickly without moving into management or chemistry roles, and you're stuck in this ceiling unless you commit to further study. Chemical exposure is real too, even with protocols.

Regional work exists in environmental testing and some manufacturing, but opportunities are thinner. Remote work is rare: you need to be in the lab.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3114, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Cartographycore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Microsoft Excel Data Managementcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Calibrate laboratory equipment
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Digital Literacy
• Health Terminology Literacy
• Process Documentation
• Process Improvement Identification
• Reporting and Analytics
• Time Management and Prioritisation
• Verbal Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Chemical Technician workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026