NOC 21320: Chemical engineers
What chemical engineers do
Chemical engineers research, design, and develop chemical processes and equipment, oversee the operation and maintenance of industrial chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, resource, pulp and paper, and food processing plants and perform duties related to chemical quality control, environmental protection and biochemical or biotechnical engineering. They are employed in a wide range of manufacturing and processing industries, consulting firms, government, research and educational institutions.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Conduct economic and technical feasibility studies in areas related to chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, food or other processing industries
- Conduct research into the development or improvement of chemical engineering processes, reactions and materials
- Evaluate chemical process technology and equipment and determine production specifications
- Design and test chemical processing and associated plants and equipment
- Oversee the construction, modification, operation and maintenance of pilot plants, processing units or processing plants
- Establish and conduct quality control programs, operating procedures and control strategies to ensure consistency and adherence to standards for raw materials, products and waste products or emissions
- Prepare contract documents and evaluate tenders for the process aspects of industrial construction
- Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers
- May work in an administrative capacity, for example, in the development of guidelines and specifications for the handling of dangerous chemicals, environmental protection, or standards for foods, materials and consumer goods.
- Chemical engineers may specialize in the products and processes of a particular industry such as pulp and paper manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, energy processing, plastics, metal extraction and refining, or adhesives and coatings production. They may also specialize in functional areas of various industries such as process control, pollution control or fermentation processes.
Job titles under NOC 21320
32 job titles are classified here, including adhesives engineer, biochemical engineer, biotechnical engineer.
- adhesives engineer
- biochemical and biotechnical engineer
- biochemical development engineer
- biochemical engineer
- biotechnical engineer
- biotechnology engineer
- chemical coating engineer
- chemical engineer
- chemical process control engineer
- chemical process engineer
- chemical project engineer
- chief chemical engineer
- chief process engineer
- design and development chemical engineer
- electrochemical engineer
- environmental chemical engineer
- explosives engineer
- fuels engineer
- industrial hygiene engineer
- industrial waste treatment engineer
- liquid fuels engineer
- petrochemical engineer
- petroleum refinery process engineer
- pipeline transport engineer
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
- A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required.
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.
Chemical engineers wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $27.45/hr | $51.92/hr | $76.92/hr |
Toronto ON | $25.64/hr | $43.59/hr | $64.42/hr |
Montréal QC | $29.58/hr | $43.92/hr | $63.68/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $22.00/hr | $53.33/hr | $58.17/hr |
Calgary AB | $44.23/hr | $62.50/hr | $88.03/hr |
Edmonton AB | $36.52/hr | $61.45/hr | $93.12/hr |
Ottawa ON | $33.54/hr | $47.53/hr | $72.96/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $28.02/hr | $40.89/hr | $62.41/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $25.00/hr | $44.31/hr | $65.38/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $31.91/hr | $46.61/hr | $72.81/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $32.19/hr | $47.01/hr | $70.71/hr |
London ON | $31.99/hr | $47.90/hr | $73.91/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $29.12/hr | $45.63/hr | $68.30/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $38.44/hr | $56.50/hr | $72.17/hr |
New Brunswick | $33.35/hr | $52.45/hr | $72.52/hr |
Quebec | $25.00/hr | $44.31/hr | $65.38/hr |
Ontario | $28.85/hr | $51.28/hr | $72.12/hr |
Manitoba | $27.67/hr | $40.32/hr | $60.24/hr |
Saskatchewan | $27.92/hr | $46.43/hr | $81.39/hr |
Alberta | $44.23/hr | $64.90/hr | $118.79/hr |
British Columbia | $25.64/hr | $53.33/hr | $70.00/hr |
Using NOC 21320 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 32 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Agricultural engineer (NOC 21399)
- Biomedical engineer (NOC 21399)
- Chemists (NOC 21101)
- Civil environmental engineer (NOC 21300)
- Electrical process control engineer (NOC 21310)
- Engineering managers (NOC 20010)
- Metallurgical and materials engineers (NOC 21322)
- Petroleum engineers (NOC 21332)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for chemical engineers?
Chemical engineers are NOC 2021 unit group 21320. Example job titles in this group include adhesives engineer, biochemical engineer, biotechnical engineer, chemical process control engineer.
What TEER is NOC 21320?
NOC 21320 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do chemical engineers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $51.92/hr, about $101,000 a year full-time, with a range of $27.45/hr to $76.92/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.