Exploring data from independent research, SRG has uncovered new scientific workforce and salary insights, designed to provide employers and professionals with the knowledge they need to navigate today’s talent market. The findings highlight the value of roles at the forefront of research and innovation and shed light on current opportunities for recruitment and career progression within the sector. 

One of a three-part series, this blog delves into data and insights from the Chemicals sector, with a specific focus on showcasing chemistry salary trends and highest paying chemistry jobs, workforce demographics, and the types of opportunities available in the UK’s chemistry job market for top scientific talent.  

Salary Benchmarking: What are the highest paying careers in chemicals? 

We gathered research from a variety of roles that are vital to developments in chemicals and the wider scientific sectors, and key to driving innovations and underpinning advancements across industries, from pharmaceuticals and materials to energy and environmental technologies.  

They include science-based roles that are key to investigating the composition, properties, and transformations of matter, driving the development of new products, sustainable solutions, and critical scientific insights. They are vital for translating research discoveries into real-world applications, supporting economic growth, and addressing global scientific challenges. 

We also explored data from engineering-based role integral to developing sustainable solutions for manufacturing, improving process efficiency, and ensuring safety and compliance with industry standards, and are key to addressing global challenges related to resource use, climate change, and technological advancement. 

As a result of these roles’ growing importance and influence, demand for highly skilled chemicals specialists is growing too, and rising chemicals salary trends are reflecting this ever-increasing need for talent. This means organisations are having to work hard in the chemicals hiring market to find the people they need, whilst candidates have an opportunity to maximise their career prospects and earning potential.  

Technical Sales Managers can earn up to £100,000 annually in high-demand areas such as London, whilst the UK-wide average for these roles is £70,000. On a day-rate basis, there is potential to earn £500 daily too. Other high-value, highly paid roles include Regulatory Manager positions, with annual earnings potential of up to £90,000, and Technical Managers, who can earn £80,000 a year. Even in entry to mid-level roles, including Lab Technician (£27,500 UK average annual salary) and Development Chemist (£36,000 average yearly salary), the renumerations are reflective of the importance of Chemical talent.  

High-level engineering roles such as Engineering Manager/Director, Operations Manager/Director, and Engineering Project Manager pay between £120,000-£140,000 a year in high demand areas, and average £105,000 a year across the UK. Meanwhile, mid-level positions are offering talent plenty of earning potential too; the lowest average annual salary is for Manufacturing Engineers (£42,000 p.a), whilst Process Engineers average £55,000 a year. 

Workforce Demographics and Diversity in Chemicals 

In addition to salary trends and workforce demands, our data uncovered fascinating insights into workforce demographics, diversity, and tenure within the Chemicals sector. This analysis highlights where certain groups are strongly represented and where significant gaps persist, and the ongoing challenges encountered by both employers and professionals in the field. 

Addressing gender representation for example, we discovered that Chemicals – in some sectors – is lagging far behind other scientific sectors and has considerable work to do to address and narrow dramatic gender gaps. We found a 34% female/66% male split in Chemicals’ science-focused UK workforce, with engineering roles faring even worse at 24% female/76% male. 

Looking at levels of experience across both sectors, there is a notable consistency, with a significant proportion of professionals having over eight years’ experience. While this reflects the high level of technical expertise required in Chemicals sectors and roles, it could also suggest that organisations may not be doing enough to support the next generation of talent and may need to establish development opportunities to support those at earlier stages of their careers. 

Although many professionals appear to have established lengthy careers within the Chemicals sector, our data suggests a typical career journey involves transitioning between various positions and different organisations. The data on average tenure reveals that individuals typically remain between 1.8 and 1.9 years. This underlines the importance for employers not only to focus on attracting sought-after talent, but also to implement strategies that encourage retention, foster development, and support career progression. 

Chemicals Career Opportunities & In-Demand Talent 

How organisations and individuals respond to SRG’s Scientific Salary and Workforce Insights and trends from the Chemicals sector and across the wider scientific landscape will be key.  

For employers, these findings and the actions to take based on them need to be carefully considered. It is essential to review and align pay structures, benefits packages, and progression pathways with evolving industry standards and the latest trends to attract, hire and retain top chemicals talent. Importantly, based on our insights, it is imperative that chemicals organisations work to address the gender gap, and create opportunities for a more diverse workforce to thrive in what is one of science’s most important and innovative sectors.  

For jobseekers, our insights are widely encouraging. As organisations across the chemicals sector increase their efforts to broaden access to careers, offer market-competitive salaries, and foster environments that support both personal and professional growth, there will be a growing demand for skilled individuals prepared to embrace the new opportunities that arise. 

How SRG supports your career or hiring needs 

Industry leaders in providing next generation scientific talent solutions, SRG work in partnership with global organisations and top talent from across life sciences sectors, including Biotech, Medtech, Pharma, as well as Chemicals, Food, Drink & FMCG, and Clean Tech & Renewables. 

Utilising our deep industry knowledge and expertise and insight of our workforce specialists, we help organisations access outstanding talent from across the scientific landscape. We support businesses by sourcing candidates for permanent posts, interim contracts, and specialist project work, ensuring they have the flexibility needed to thrive in an ever-evolving market. 

Our expertise is built on our experience and understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities of the scientific sectors we support. Through our extensive network and a commitment to data-driven recruitment strategies, SRG crafts bespoke talent solutions that help both employers and professionals realise their goals. 

Whether you are seeking to build a forward-thinking team or take the next step in your career, SRG offers dedicated support, insightful market knowledge, and a commitment to excellence in every partnership.