Hazardous waste management technologists are employed by the following types of organizations:
- Municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities
- Regional solid waste management facilities
- Public works departments
- Health care facilities
- Laboratories
- Municipal engineering firms
- Waste management companies, brokers and recyclers
- Government environmental regulatory services
- Pulp and paper processing companies
- Oil and gas exploration companies and contractors
- Petrochemical companies
- Environmental contracting and consulting firms
- Companies in other industries that generate hazardous waste, including manufacturing, mining and transportation
Some employers may require applicants to have a clean driving record.
Hazardous waste management technologists employed in larger organizations may advance to supervisory positions. Obtaining a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in science or environmental engineering usually is required to move into management, consulting or professional roles such as hazardous materials engineer, recycling manager or environmental auditor.
Hazardous waste management technologists are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 2263: Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety. In Alberta, 85% of people employed in this classification work in the following industries:
The employment outlook [pdf] in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:
- Trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
- Location in Alberta
- Employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
- Occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions)
- Size of the occupation
In Alberta, the 2263: Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.8% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 154 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.
Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.