Overview of this occupation
Chemical and Materials Engineers design and prepare specifications for chemical process systems and the construction and operation of commercial-scale chemical plants, supervise industrial processing and fabrication of products undergoing physical and chemical change, and investigate the properties of metals, ceramics, polymers and other materials and assess and develop their engineering and commercial applications.
What they do:
- Create models of engineering designs or methods
- Design industrial processing systems
- Determine causes of operational problems or failures
- Develop technical methods or processes
- Monitor the productivity or efficiency of industrial operations
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality or performance
- Research engineering concepts and their application across disciplines
- Resolve operational performance problems
What technology tools they use:
- Science and engineering software
- Statistical and data analysis software
- Technical design and modelling software (2D and 3D)
Source: Australian Skills Classification, job and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence and Jobs and Skills Australia, ABS Census 2016, Customised Report.
Quick facts
Chemical and Materials Engineers
All employees nationwide 1
The number of people employed in an occupations as their main job across all Australian states.
Projected growth 2
The projected increase in employment in Australia from May 2023 to May 2028.
Working in NSW 3
The distribution of people employed in an occupation in NSW.
Median age of all workers 5
This shows the median age of all workers in this occupation.
See footnotes for source details and additional information.
Skills and knowledge
What are they good at?
This table lists skills and knowledge categories according to how relevant they are for this occupation.
High expertise | Intermediate |
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Source: Australian Skills Classification, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence.
Education and qualifications
Chemical and Materials Engineers – Skill level 1
Occupation at Skill Level 1 have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor's degree of higher qualification .
At least five years of relevant experience may substitute for the formal qualification
Source: Conceptual basis of ANZSCO, ABS Survey, Release Nov 2021.
Qualifications in this workforce
This table shows the distribution of employment by highest qualification completed (in any field of study).7
Year 12 and below
Certificate III or IV
Diploma or Advanced Diploma
Bachelor`s degree
Post-graduate
Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
Use this as a guide for understanding what qualifications are the most common in this field. For personalised support on your education journey, talk to a Careers NSW specialist.
Talk to one of our specialists
At any career stage you can talk with a specialist from Careers NSW about your goals and how you can achieve them.