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Chemists, and Food and Wine Scientists

Chemists, and Food and Wine Scientists study the chemical and physical properties of substances, develop and monitor chemical processes and production, develop new and improve existing food products, and plan and coordinate the production of wine and spirits.

ManufacturingLicensed workANZSCO 2342
$2,194/wkMedian full-time pay
9,055People employed
+20% ▲Growth to 2035
82%Work full time
42Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 2342.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

conducting experiments and tests to identify the chemical composition and reactive properties of natural substances and processed materialsanalysing and conducting research to develop theories, techniques and processes, and testing the reliability of outcomes under different conditionsdeveloping practical applications of experimental and research findingstesting food products for flavour, colour, taste, texture and nutritional contentadvising on preserving, processing, packaging, storing and delivering foodsdeveloping quality control procedures and safety standards for the manufacture of food products
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 2342 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 2,100 more people in chemists, and food and wine scientists by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 4.4% in the year to February 2026, losing about 400 workers. Most of the jobs are in VIC and NSW, with SA third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 2342.More about our sources: How we check our facts
10.2k2025
11.3k2030 PROJ.
12.3k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

8 in ten people here have a degree. You can still get in without one.

8% came through a VET qualification. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 2342. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

FBP40321Certificate IV

Certificate IV in Food Processing

Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical · licensed work.

See 3 providers
11268NATDiploma

Diploma of Personal Care Formulation

See 2 providers
11034NATDiploma

Diploma of Wine Technology

See 1 provider

Licensed work: several of these courses lead to work that also needs a state or territory licence. Training is the first step; licensing rules are set by each state.

See all 4 mapped courses
FBP40321Certificate IV in Food Processing · 3 providers
11268NATDiploma of Personal Care Formulation · 2 providers
11034NATDiploma of Wine Technology · 1 provider
FBP50221Diploma of Food Safety Auditing · 0 providers

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

9,055 Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 2342.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

VIC2.8k
NSW2.2k
SA1.6k
QLD1.2k
WA0.9k
ACT0.3k
TAS0.2k
NT0.1k

Occupations near this one

Close to this work but not quite it? Each one has its own page like this.