Engineering Professionals (Excluding Electrotechnology)

How to become a Chemical Engineer

Official title: Chemical Engineers

Researches, plans, designs and directs chemical and physical processes for commercial use, such as processing crude oil and petroleum products, food, medicines and synthetic materials, and directs the maintenance of chemical plants and equipment.

Main tasks

Research, recommend and develop chemical processes for refining crude oil and converting other liquid and gas raw materials into products such as petroleum products, food, medicines and synthetic materials
Set specifications for chemical production methods, materials and quality
Set control standards and procedures to make sure chemical production is safe and efficient
Design chemical plant equipment and plan production processes for chemical products
Test production steps and work out the best settings for controls such as temperature, density, gravity and pressure
Carry out experimental research into processes for new products, and run tests

Ways in

University department: Engineering degrees, Offered by 93 universities in Taiwan
Licence (national exam): Regulated profession. To practise as a professional chemical engineer you must pass the national Professional and Technical Examination (專門職業及技術人員考試) for 化學工程技師 and hold the certificate. Listed in the annex to article 2 of the Enforcement Rules of the Professional and Technical Examinations Act, item 4.
Licence (national exam): Regulated profession. To practise as a professional food engineer you must pass the national Professional and Technical Examination (專門職業及技術人員考試) for 食品技師 and hold the certificate. Listed in the annex to article 2 of the Enforcement Rules of the Professional and Technical Examinations Act, item 18.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Average pay: NT$1,192,000 a year
Demand for Science and engineering jobs is projected at about 952,000 in 2024 and about 1,072,000 in 2030. (+12.6%)
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.

How much does a Chemical Engineer earn in Taiwan?

Average pay is NT$1,192,000 a year (Ministry of Labor, Department of Statistics).

Is a Chemical Engineer a growing career in Taiwan?

Demand for this job family is projected to change 12.6% from 2024 to 2030 (National Development Council).

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

Ministry of Labor, Department of Statistics: Occupational Wage Survey (職類別薪資調查) (2025 survey (July 2025 monthly, 2024 annual), released 2026-05-29), Open Government Data License, version 1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
National Development Council: Final manpower demand projections by occupation (職業別最終人力需求推估) (2025 to 2030 (base 2024), 13 job families), CC BY 4.0, 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