Production · Holland code RCI

Chemical Plant and System Operators

Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.

Also called: Chemical Operator, Plant Technician (Plant Tech), Process Operator, Process Technician (Process Tech), Chemical Plant Operations Technician (Chemical Plan Operations Tech), Chemical Plant Production Operator, Chemical Process Control Operator, Process Control Operator.

O*NET 51-8091.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $78,120; Middle half earn $60,330 to $98,660. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals to verify conformity of process conditions.
Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.
Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.
Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.
Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.
Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Active Listening3.1 / 5
Speaking3.1 / 5
Writing3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mechanical4.3 / 5
Chemistry4.3 / 5
Mathematics4.3 / 5
Production and Processing3.8 / 5
Physics3.7 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic87
Investigative36
Artistic0
Social4
Enterprising10
Conventional69

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

chemical engineering technician · DE Chemiebetriebs- und Verfahrenstechniker/Chemiebetriebs- und Verfahrenstechnikerin · FR technicien en génie chimique/technicienne en génie chimique
chemical processing plant controller · DE Steuerer von chemischen Verfahrensanlagen/Steuerin von chemischen Verfahrensanlagen · FR pilote d’installations de transformation chimique
air separation plant operator · DE Steuerer von Lufttrennungsanlagen/Steuerin von Lufttrennungsanlagen · FR conducteur/conductrice d’installation de séparation de l’air
chemical plant control room operator · DE Steuerer Chemiewerksleitstand/Steuerin Chemiewerksleitstand · FR opérateur de salle de contrôle d’usines chimique/opératrice de salle de contrôle d’usines chimique
nitrator operator · DE Sprengstoffarbeiter/Sprengstoffarbeiterin · FR opérateur en fabrication de poudres et explosifs/opératrice en fabrication de poudres et explosifs
nitroglycerin separator operator · DE Fachkraft in der Nitroglycerinherstellung (Schwerkraftabscheidung) · FR opérateur de production de nitroglycérine/opératrice de production de nitroglycérine

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chemical and related process operatives (8113)34,100 employed
Process operatives n.e.c. (8119)26,300 employed
Production, factory and assembly supervisors (8160)32,600 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.38. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-8091).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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