Chemical Engineers and Technicians

How to become a Chemical Production Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 化工生产工程技术人员

Provides technical guidance and organises the technical side of chemical production.

Main tasks

Writing technical procedures and operating methods for chemical production
Suggesting improvements to the experiments and design behind production processes
Setting control targets for the production process
Helping to draw up production plans and schedule production
Dealing with abnormal situations and accidents in production and guiding operators

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering (0813); majors such as Chemical Engineering and Technology, Energy Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Resource Recycling Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Industrial Bioengineering, Chemical Safety Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Coating and Protection Technology (470212). Vocational major 470212 Coating and Protection Technology (涂装防护技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Technology (470209). Vocational major 470209 Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Technology (化工智能制造技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis; Big Data Analysis and Applications.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Applied Chemical Technology (270201). Vocational major 270201 Applied Chemical Technology (应用化工技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Clean Coal Utilisation Engineering (220502). Vocational major 220502 Clean Coal Utilisation Engineering (煤炭清洁利用工程), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Clean and Efficient Coal Utilisation.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Engineering Technology (270202). Vocational major 270202 Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Engineering Technology (化工智能制造工程技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis; Big Data Analysis and Applications.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥92,696 a year (2025), middle half CN¥63,800 to CN¥125,458.
This is the figure for the minor group Chemical Engineers and Technicians, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Chemical Production Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Coating and Protection Technology (470212); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Technology (470209).

How much does a Chemical Production Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥92,696 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Chemical Production Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026