OSCA occupation

311531 Chemical Technician

Performs laboratory tests on organic and inorganic chemicals, analyses test data, and carries out technical functions in support of Chemists or Chemical Engineers in a wide variety of areas, such as fuels, agricultural products, food, pharmaceuticals, paints, metals, plastics, textiles, detergents, paper, fertilisers and cosmetics.

Major group: 3 Technicians and Trades Workers
Unit group: 3115 Science Technicians
Edition: OSCA 2024
Skill level: Level 2

Should you use OSCA or ANZSCO?

OSCA 2024 is the current Australian occupation classification for storing, organising and reporting occupation information. Use this OSCA record for current Australian statistical and analytical classification work.

Some migration and administrative programs still specify ANZSCO 2022. Check the exact system named by the agency or form rather than replacing the code automatically.

Check the current ABS guidance on OSCA and ANZSCO use

Official ANZSCO correspondence

ANZSCO 311411 Chemistry Technician Exact correspondence in the ABS table

Role overview

Use this page to confirm the official title, the parent unit group, the task list and the related ANZSIC industry context before using the occupation in classification, reporting or migration-adjacent workflows.

Occupation facts

Skill level: 2
Major group: 3 Technicians and Trades Workers
Sub-major group: 31 Building, Engineering, ICT and Scientific Technicians
Minor group: 311 Agricultural, Health and Science Technicians
Unit group: 3115 Science Technicians

Tasks

Assists in setting up and conducting chemical experiments, tests and analysis on organic and inorganic chemicals according to existing procedures
Assists in the fabrication, installation and modification of chemistry equipment to ensure it meets standards
Collects samples from production batches, and tests them for impurities and defects
Sets up and maintains chemistry laboratory equipment, instruments and inventory
Assists in monitoring the quality of products and processes at chemical manufacturing facilities to ensure they meet standards and specifications
Undertakes a limited range of technical activities to support chemical research

Skill level guidance

Skill level helps place the occupation inside the ABS hierarchy. Use it as a classification cue, then check the actual task list and occupational context before making a decision for HR, visa or reporting work.

How to use this occupation page

Start with the official OSCA title and task list. Then confirm the parent unit group and compare the related occupations on this page if the job title is broad, overlapping or used differently across employers.

The ANZSIC links are there to help when the same occupation appears across several industries and you need the business-side classification as well.

Related occupations

Industry context

Alternative titles

No alternative titles are currently attached.

Compare before choosing

Compare OSCA 311531 with related occupations

Compare roles in the same OSCA unit group by their official definition, skill level, tasks and recognised alternative titles.

Comparison point	Current code311531 Chemical Technician	311532 Earth Science Technician	311533 Geospatial Technician
Official role definition	Performs laboratory tests on organic and inorganic chemicals, analyses test data, and carries out technical functions in support of Chemists or Chemical Engineers in a wide variety of areas, such as fuels, agricultural products, food, pharmaceuticals, paints, metals, plastics, textiles, detergents, paper, fertilisers and cosmetics.	Collects and tests earth and water samples, records observations, and analyses data in support of Geologists, Geophysicists and other earth scientists.	Analyses and manipulates geospatial data from multiple technologies, formats and projects to form integrated datasets.
Skill level	Skill Level 2	Skill Level 2	Skill Level 2
Key tasks	Assists in setting up and conducting chemical experiments, tests and analysis on organic and inorganic chemicals according to existing procedures Assists in the fabrication, installation and modification of chemistry equipment to ensure it meets standards Collects samples from production batches, and tests them for impurities and defects Sets up and maintains chemistry laboratory equipment, instruments and inventory	Assists in the collection, preparation, testing and analysis of rock, soil and water samples Calibrates and maintains testing equipment used by earth scientists Assists Geologists, Geophysicists and other earth scientists in the analysis of data Supports earth scientists in practical field operations by planning field work, arranging access to sites, and ensuring supplies and equipment are available for field surveys	Assists with the development and maintenance of geographical information systems (GIS) Creates, maintains, displays and updates GIS databases Works with geospatial technology to assist with data gathering, compilation, mapping and data analysis Produces accurate maps and other representations of data for use in activities such as fieldwork
Alternative titles	Not stated	Not stated	Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Officer

Comparison uses occupation definitions, skill levels, tasks and title variants from the ABS OSCA data files.

In this section

Official source

Official source: ABS OSCA 2024 release and correspondence tables
Last reviewed: 2026-04-17

This site is an independent reference resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the ABS, ATO or any Australian Government agency.

Please verify critical classification decisions with the official authority before using them for tax, payroll, licensing, immigration or compliance work.

Report a correction