Engineering professionals (excluding electrical, electronics and telecommunications)

How to become a chemical engineer

Official title: Chemical engineers

Also called: Chemical engineer, Fuel technologist, Plastics technologist, Refinery process engineer

Chemical engineers conduct research and develop, advise on and direct commercial-scale chemical processes and production of various substances and items such as crude oil, petroleum derivatives, food and drink products, medicines, or synthetic materials. They direct maintenance and repair of chemical plant and equipment and study and advise on chemical aspects of particular materials, products or processes.

Main tasks

Conducting research and advising on, and developing, commercial-scale chemical processes to refine crude oil and other liquids or gases, and to produce substances and items such as petroleum derivatives, explosives, food and drink products, medicines, or synthetic materials
Specifying chemical production methods, materials and quality standards and ensuring that they conform to specifications
Establishing control standards and procedures to ensure safety and efficiency of chemical production operations and safety of workers’ operating equipment or of those working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions
Designing chemical plant equipment and devising processes for manufacturing chemicals and products
Performing tests throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables, including temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure
Developing safety procedures to be employed
Preparing estimates of production costs and production progress reports for management
Performing laboratory studies of steps in the manufacture of new products and testing proposed processes in small-scale operations such as a pilot plant

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 14 universities in Hong Kong
Licence or registration: Registering body: Engineers Registration Board. Law: Engineers Registration Ordinance (工程師註冊條例), Cap. 409. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$48,000 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.

Questions people ask

How do I become a chemical engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees.

Do you need a degree to become a chemical engineer?

Usually. 88% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a chemical engineer?

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