How to become a chemical engineering technician

Official title: Chemical engineering technicians

Also called: Chemical engineering estimator, Chemical engineering technician

Chemical engineering technicians perform technical tasks to aid in chemical engineering research and in the design, manufacture, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of chemical plant.

Main tasks

• Assisting in research on and development of industrial chemical processes, plant and equipment, or testing prototypes
• Designing and preparing layouts of chemical plants according to the specifications given
• Preparing detailed estimates of quantities and costs of materials and labour required for manufacture and installation, according to the specifications given
• Monitoring technical aspects of the construction, installation, operation, maintenance and repair of chemical plants to ensure satisfactory performance and compliance with specifications and regulations
• Conducting chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists and engineers in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
• About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Mechanical engineering technicians
• Physical and engineering science technicians not elsewhere classified
• Civil engineering technicians
• Draughtspersons
• Electronics engineering technicians
• Mining and metallurgical technicians

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a chemical engineering technician?

Not always. 41% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a chemical engineering technician?

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

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), 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

Updated 4 October 2026