NOC 2021 · 21320 · TEER 1
NOC 21320: Chemical engineers
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Chemical engineers research, design, and develop chemical processes and equipment, oversee the operation and maintenance of industrial chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, resource, pulp and paper, and food processing plants and perform duties related to chemical quality control, environmental protection and biochemical or biotechnical engineering. They are employed in a wide range of manufacturing and processing industries, consulting firms, government, research and educational institutions.
TEER
TEER 1
Usually needs a university degree
Median wage (Canada)
$51.92 / hour
Job Bank, 2023-2024
High-wage tier (from 3 Nov 2026)
Tier 2
+40 CRS for Canadian work, or 70 for a job offer
Express Entry categories
None
General and program draws only
Express Entry
How NOC 21320 counts for Express Entry
- Federal Skilled Worker: eligible occupationNeeds 1 year of continuous skilled (TEER 0–3) work in the last 10 years and 67 points on the FSW grid.
- Canadian Experience Class: eligible occupationNeeds 1 year of skilled (TEER 0–3) work in Canada in the last 3 years.
- Federal Skilled Trades: not eligibleNeeds 2 years of work in an eligible trade group in the last 5 years, plus a job offer or a Canadian certificate of qualification.
High-wage CRS points
NOC 21320 is in tier 2 of IRCC's high-wage list, in effect from 3 November 2026.
| 12+ months of Canadian work | +40 points on top of work-length points |
|---|---|
| Qualifying job offer (no LMIA) | 70 points |
You get whichever option scores higher, not both.
See all 186 high-wage occupationsCategory-based draws
NOC 21320 is not on any of IRCC's 2026 occupation categories. You can still be invited through general, program-specific or French-language draws.
IRCC category listsDuties
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Conduct economic and technical feasibility studies in areas related to chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, food or other processing industries
- Conduct research into the development or improvement of chemical engineering processes, reactions and materials
- Evaluate chemical process technology and equipment and determine production specifications
- Design and test chemical processing and associated plants and equipment
- Oversee the construction, modification, operation and maintenance of pilot plants, processing units or processing plants
- Establish and conduct quality control programs, operating procedures and control strategies to ensure consistency and adherence to standards for raw materials, products and waste products or emissions
- Prepare contract documents and evaluate tenders for the process aspects of industrial construction
- Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers
- May work in an administrative capacity, for example, in the development of guidelines and specifications for the handling of dangerous chemicals, environmental protection, or standards for foods, materials and consumer goods.
- Chemical engineers may specialize in the products and processes of a particular industry such as pulp and paper manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, energy processing, plastics, metal extraction and refining, or adhesives and coatings production. They may also specialize in functional areas of various industries such as process control, pollution control or fermentation processes.
For Express Entry, your experience must match the lead statement and most of these duties, not only the job title.
Job titles
Example job titles
- adhesives engineer
- biochemical engineer
- biotechnical engineer
- chemical process control engineer
- chemical process engineer
- chemical project engineer
- environmental chemical engineer
- industrial hygiene engineer
- industrial waste treatment engineer
- liquid fuels engineer
- petrochemical engineer
- polymer engineer
- pulp and paper engineer
- refinery engineer
- waste treatment engineer
All 32 job titles in NOC 21320
- adhesives engineer
- biochemical and biotechnical engineer
- biochemical development engineer
- biochemical engineer
- biotechnical engineer
- biotechnology engineer
- chemical coating engineer
- chemical engineer
- chemical process control engineer
- chemical process engineer
- chemical project engineer
- chief chemical engineer
- chief process engineer
- design and development chemical engineer
- electrochemical engineer
- environmental chemical engineer
- explosives engineer
- fuels engineer
- industrial hygiene engineer
- industrial waste treatment engineer
- liquid fuels engineer
- petrochemical engineer
- petroleum refinery process engineer
- pipeline transport engineer
- plastics engineer
- polymer engineer
- production chemical engineer
- pulp and paper chemical engineer
- pulp and paper engineer
- refinery engineer
- research chemical engineer
- waste treatment engineer
Also includes: pipeline transport engineer.
Requirements
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
- A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required.
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.
Additional information
- There is considerable mobility between chemical engineering specializations at the less senior levels.
- Supervisory and senior positions in this unit group require experience.
- Engineers often work in a multidisciplinary environment and acquire knowledge and skills through work experience that may allow them to practise in associated areas of science, engineering, sales, marketing or management.
- Chemical engineers work closely with chemists and other scientists and engineers and mobility is possible between some fields of specialization.
This occupation may be regulated in some provinces. You may need a licence or certificate from the provincial regulator before you can work in it in Canada, even if you hold permanent residence.
Wages
Wages for NOC 21320 in Canada
Low, median and high wages per hour in Canadian dollars, from ESDC Job Bank's 2025 wage data.
| Region | Low | Median | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $27.45 | $51.92 | $76.92 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $38.44 | $56.50 | $72.17 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| New Brunswick | $33.35 | $52.45 | $72.52 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Quebec | $25.00 | $44.31 | $65.38 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Ontario | $28.85 | $51.28 | $72.12 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Manitoba | $27.67 | $40.32 | $60.24 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Saskatchewan | $27.92 | $46.43 | $81.39 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Alberta | $44.23 | $64.90 | $118.79 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| British Columbia | $25.64 | $53.33 | $70.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
Provinces with too little data are not shown. Wages vary by city and employer; see Job Bank for regional figures.
Job outlook
Job outlook by province, 2025–2027
Job Bank's 3-year employment outlook for this occupation, by province and territory.
ModerateBritish Columbia
The employment outlook will be Moderate for chemical engineers (NOC 21320) in British Columbia for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Employment opportunities for engineers continue to be strong across multiple sectors (for example IT, oil and gas, manufacturing, mining, utilities, construction).
The high level of technical knowledge required for this occupation makes recruitment difficult.
Here are some key facts about chemical engineers in British Columbia:
Approximately 2,050 people work in this occupation.
Chemical engineers mainly work in the following sectors:
Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 28%
Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 10%
Computer, electronic and electrical product manufacturing (NAICS 334-335): 9%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 8%
Petroleum and coal product manufacturing (NAICS 324): 6%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 93% compared to 78% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 7% compared to 22% for all occupations
80% of chemical engineers work all year, while 20% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 47 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
7% of chemical engineers are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 69% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 31% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 57% compared to 22% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 40% compared to 12% for all occupations
LimitedQuebec
The employment outlook will be Limited for chemical engineers (NOC 21320) in Quebec for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about chemical engineers in Quebec:
Approximately 2,650 people work in this occupation.
Chemical engineers mainly work in the following sectors:
Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 21%
Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 20%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 6%
Primary metal manufacturing (NAICS 331): 5%
73% of chemical engineers work all year, while 27% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
6% of chemical engineers are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 66% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 34% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 63% compared to 17% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 34% compared to 11% for all occupations
LimitedOntario
The employment outlook will be Limited for chemical engineers (NOC 21320) in Ontario for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about chemical engineers in Ontario:
Approximately 4,300 people work in this occupation.
Chemical engineers mainly work in the following sectors:
Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 24%
Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 19%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 7%
77% of chemical engineers work all year, while 23% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
7% of chemical engineers are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 68% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 32% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 25% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 57% compared to 24% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 39% compared to 13% for all occupations
LimitedAlberta
The employment outlook will be Limited for chemical engineers (NOC 21320) in Alberta for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about chemical engineers in Alberta:
Approximately 2,600 people work in this occupation.
Chemical engineers mainly work in the following sectors:
Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 35%
Oil and gas extraction (NAICS 211): 28%
Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325): 9%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 93% compared to 80% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 7% compared to 20% for all occupations
72% of chemical engineers work all year, while 28% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 45 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
9% of chemical engineers are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 74% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 26% compared to 47% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 19% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 65% compared to 21% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 33% compared to 9% for all occupations
UndeterminedNewfoundland and Labrador
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedPrince Edward Island
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNova Scotia
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNew Brunswick
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedManitoba
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedSaskatchewan
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNorthwest Territories
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNunavut
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
Source: ESDC Job Bank, 3-year employment outlooks 2025–2027 (released December 2025).
Provinces
Provincial Nominee Programs
A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points. Most provinces run occupation-targeted draws or in-demand lists, and some accept TEER 4 and 5 occupations that Express Entry does not.
Provincial lists change often, sometimes between draws. We check whether NOC 21320 is being targeted by any province as part of a consultation.
Similar occupations
Related NOC codes
Classified elsewhere
If your duties fit one of these better, use that code instead.
Same occupation group
Manufacturing and processing engineers
Questions
NOC 21320: common questions
What is the NOC code for chemical engineers?
What TEER category is NOC 21320?
Is NOC 21320 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 21320 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 21320 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 21320 in Canada?
Classification
Where it sits in NOC 2021
- 2Natural and applied sciences and related occupationsBroad Category
- 21Professional occupations in natural and applied sciencesMajor Group
- 213Professional occupations in engineeringSub-major Group
- 2132Manufacturing and processing engineersMinor Group
- 21320Chemical engineers
Enquiry
Is NOC 21320 your occupation? Ask us about your options.
Tell us your duties, experience and language scores. We will confirm your NOC code and the Canadian routes that fit.
Sources: Statistics Canada, NOC 2021 Version 1.0, Job Bank wages (2025), Job Bank outlooks 2025–2027 and IRCC. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Checked 21 October 2026.
NOC 2026 is due from Statistics Canada in December 2026. IRCC still uses NOC 2021 codes, and this page will show any change once IRCC switches.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Canada, IRCC or ESDC.
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