Job prospects Chemist in Ontario
Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "chemist" in Ontario or across Canada.
Job opportunities in Ontario
These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.
Prospects over the next 3 years
The employment outlook will be good for Chemists (NOC 21101) in Ontario for the 2024-2026 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of 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 sectors, including in pharmaceutical research and production
- Need for chemical products and processes to support various sectors, such as food sciences, construction, and plastics and rubber products manufacturing
- Some opportunities may arise in petrochemical and industrial chemical manufacturing, particularly in the Windsor-Sarnia area of Ontario
- Investments in the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain is expected to create opportunities for chemists to support EV battery research
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.
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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.
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