Chemical engineering salary and the national full-time average
If you are researching a chemical engineering salary in Australia, you might want to know how it stacks up against the national full-time average. The short answer is that official data does not publish a precise figure for this occupation, but we can still draw useful context from the available statistics.
What the official data says
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collects earnings data through its Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours. For the May 2025 reference period, the ABS produced median weekly earnings for broad occupation groups, but not for individual six-digit ANZSCO occupations such as chemical engineer (233111). The Jobs and Skills Australia profile for chemical engineers notes that median weekly earnings are not available (N/A) because the relative standard error is too high. This is common for smaller occupations where the survey sample is not large enough to produce a reliable estimate.
What we do know from the same profile is that chemical engineers have a median age of 38 years, 87% work full-time, and the average full-time hours are 43 per week. The female share of employment is 23%, compared to 49% across all occupations.
Broader earnings benchmarks
Even without a chemical engineering-specific figure, we can look at the broader category of professionals. In the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025 release, professionals had average weekly total cash earnings of $2,049.60. This is slightly below the national full-time adult ordinary-time average of $2,083.70 per week (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026). However, note that the professionals figure includes all professionals, not just chemical engineers, and it is an average, not a median. The national full-time median (all occupations) was about $1,887 per week in May 2025, or roughly $98,124 per year.
Chemical engineers are a specialised subset of professionals, typically employed in mining, manufacturing, and engineering services. The mining industry, for example, had the highest average hourly earnings of $74.10 for non-managerial employees in May 2025. While we cannot directly link this to chemical engineers, it suggests that those working in resource-intensive sectors may earn above the professional average.
How the national average is calculated
The national full-time average used on this site is the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026 figure for full-time adult ordinary-time earnings: $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year when multiplied by 52. This is the 'line' against which all salaries are compared. It is an average, not a median, meaning it can be influenced by a small number of very high earners (e.g., managers) or compositional changes in the workforce.
For comparison, the all-employees median (including part-time) was about $1,436 per week in May 2025, and the full-time median was about $1,887 per week. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or about $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week.
What would move a chemical engineering salary above or below the average?
Several factors could push a chemical engineer's pay above the national full-time average:
- Industry: Chemical engineers in mining, oil and gas, or heavy manufacturing often command higher wages due to industry profitability and demand.
- Experience and seniority: Senior engineers, project managers, or those with specialised skills (e.g., process design, safety engineering) can earn well above the median.
- Location: States with higher average earnings, such as Western Australia ($115,825 full-time average) or the Australian Capital Territory ($119,090), may offer higher pay for chemical engineers.
- Hours: Chemical engineers work an average of 43 full-time hours per week, slightly below the all-occupations average of 44 hours. Overtime or additional hours could increase total earnings.
Conversely, factors that could keep pay below the average include:
- Entry-level positions: Graduate chemical engineers typically start on lower salaries, often around $65,000 to $80,000 per year, which is below the national full-time average.
- Public sector roles: Government or research positions may offer lower base pay but better conditions.
- Part-time or contract work: While only 13% of chemical engineers work part-time, those who do will have lower weekly earnings.
Using this site to compare
You can place a salary on the line to see how it compares to the national full-time average. The tool will show you the weekly and hourly equivalent (based on a 38-hour week) and the distance from the average. If you have a specific chemical engineering salary in mind, you can enter it and get an instant comparison.
For a broader view, visit the job medians page to see how other occupations stack up against the average. While chemical engineers are not listed individually due to data limitations, you can compare with related fields such as other engineers or professionals.
Summary
In summary, the ABS does not publish a median weekly earnings figure for chemical engineers because the sample is too small to be statistically reliable. However, based on the broader professional average and industry data, it is likely that experienced chemical engineers earn at or above the national full-time average of $108,352 per year. Without a specific published figure, any precise comparison is speculative. The best approach is to use the available benchmarks and your own salary data to see where you stand.
For more information on how these figures are set, see the data page.