Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Chemists

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.

Also called: Analytical Chemist, Chemist, Research Chemist, Scientist, Air Quality Chemist, Chemical Lab Scientist (Chemical Laboratory Scientist), Forensic Chemist, Product Development Chemist.

O*NET 19-2031.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $91,240; Middle half earn $69,460 to $125,550. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 56% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable 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.

Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
Conduct quality control tests.
Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed.
Prepare test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests.
Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Science4.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Writing3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Chemistry4.9 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Mathematics3.8 / 5
Production and Processing3.5 / 5
Administration and Management3.4 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.4 / 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.

Realistic78
Investigative95
Artistic9
Social2
Enterprising10
Conventional63

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)

chemist · DE Chemiker/Chemikerin · FR chimiste
analytical chemist · DE Analytischer Chemiker/Analytische Chemikerin · FR chimiste analytique
chemical application specialist · DE Applikationsspezialist Chemie/Applikationsspezialistin Chemie · FR spécialiste d’application produits chimiques
cosmetic chemist · DE Kosmetikchemiker/Kosmetikchemikerin · FR ingénieur cosmétique/ingénieure cosmétique
textile chemist · DE Textilchemiker/Textilchemikerin · FR ingénieur en chimie textile/ingénieure en chimie textile
biochemist · DE Biochemiker/Biochemikerin · FR biochimiste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chemical scientists (2111)25,100 employed
Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed
Other researchers, unspecified discipline (2162)78,200 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 “Professionals”. 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, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

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 +0.50. 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 (19-2031).

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.

Take the career interests test