AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-4031.00
Will AI replace Chemical Technicians?
Chemical Technicians: AI can already handle 7 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Chemical Technicians, from most to least exposed. 7 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses. | Observed | Standard | |
| Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized formulas, or create experimental formulas. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Direct or monitor other workers producing chemical products. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Operate experimental pilot plants, assisting with experimental design. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Design or fabricate experimental apparatus to develop new products or processes. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop new chemical engineering processes or production techniques. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Train new employees on topics such as the proper operation of laboratory equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Order and inventory materials to maintain supplies. | Estimated | Standard |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 16. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 57,540
- Median annual wage
- $60,390
- Middle half of earners
- $48,530 to $75,900
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +3.7%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Chemists 76% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure59
- Biological Technicians 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure62
- Food Science Technicians 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure63
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure64
- Agricultural Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure65
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Chemical Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Chemical Technicians?
AI already handles 7 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 52 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +3.7% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Chemical Technicians?
52 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Chemical Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses; Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials; Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications. They are three of the 7 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Chemical Technicians, and what do they earn?
57,540 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $60,390 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.7% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Chemical Technicians. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/chemical-technicians
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