How to become a chemistry technician

Official title: Chemistry technician

Also called: Chemical analyst, Chemical laboratory technician, Chemical laboratory tester, Chemical process analyst, Laboratory technician (chemistry), Spectroscopist, Laboratory Assistant, Laboratory Technician/Technologist, Research Technologist, Senior Laboratory Technician/Technologist, Water Quality Control Senior Technical Officer, Water Quality Control Technical Officer

Chemistry technician performs technical tasks, normally under the direction of a chemist, in connection with pure research into chemical phenomena or applied chemical research and development work. He/she assists with experiments, tests and analyses in the field of organic, inorganic, physical and analytical chemistry, for such purposes as investigating chemical phenomena, determining composition and properties of substances, discovering and developing new chemical products, new uses for existing products or new methods of production, or controlling industrial processes. He/she may maintain laboratory and other equipment.

Main tasks

• Collecting samples and preparing materials and equipment for experiments, tests and analyses
• Carrying out routine laboratory tests and performing a variety of technical support functions to assist chemical and physical scientists in research, development, analysis and testing
• Controlling the quality and quantity of laboratory supplies by testing samples and monitoring usage and preparing detailed estimates of quantities and costs of materials and labour required for projects, according to the specifications given
• Setting up, operating, and maintaining laboratory instruments and equipment, monitoring experiments, making observations, and calculating and recording results
• Preparing materials for experimentation such as freezing and slicing specimens and mixing chemicals

Ways in

• Polytechnic or ITE: Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Applied Chemistry (Nanyang Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $57,180 a year. The middle half earn $42,648 to $74,388 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Physics technician
• Civil engineering technician
• Building technician
• Land surveying technician
• Resident technical officer
• Electrical engineering technician

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Questions people ask

How do I become a chemistry technician?

Ways in include: Polytechnic diploma.

How much does a chemistry technician earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $57,180 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $42,648 to $74,388.

Will AI change the work of a chemistry technician?

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

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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