Job prospects Laboratory Chemist in Ontario

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

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

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.

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 "laboratory chemist" Chemists (NOC 21101) or across Canada.

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