Building Decoration Workers

How to become an Interior Finisher

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 装饰装修工

Also called: Plasterer, Painter and Decorator, Tiler, Building Painter and Floor Layer, Kitchen and Bathroom Fitter, Underfloor Heating Installer, Grouting Specialist, Decorative Paint Artist, Ceramic Facing Tiler, Floor Screed and Coating Layer

Uses tools, machines or bare hands to spray, plaster, grout, tile and artistically finish the surfaces and interiors of buildings and structures, and makes and fits decorative features.

Main tasks

Cleaning and looking after exterior surfaces and interiors
Decorating exterior surfaces and interiors by spraying, painting, wallpapering, tiling, laying flooring, grouting and so on, with tools, machines or by hand
Making and fitting door and window trims and other decorative features, with tools and machines or by hand
Building interior partitions with tools and machines
Fitting suspended ceilings and decorative lighting with tools
Fitting interior units and fittings, with tools and machines or by hand
Creating artistic effects that imitate natural scenery, sounds and smells, with tools, machines or by hand

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Architectural Decoration Engineering Technology (440102). Vocational major 440102 Architectural Decoration Engineering Technology (建筑装饰工程技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Interior Design; Construction Drawing Reading; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Architectural Decoration Technology (640102). Vocational major 640102 Architectural Decoration Technology (建筑装饰技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Construction Drawing Reading; Interior Design; Building Information Modelling (BIM).

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥60,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥46,600 to CN¥81,500. One in ten earn less than CN¥36,100 and one in ten more than CN¥106,900.
This is the figure for the mid group Construction Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥60,950 a year (2025), middle half CN¥46,116 to CN¥72,000.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Construction Workers holds 9.52% of everyone employed in China; 14.2% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
25% are under 35, 58.1% are 35 to 54 and 16.9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 45 to 49.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Interior Finisher?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Architectural Decoration Engineering Technology (440102); Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Architectural Decoration Technology (640102).

How much does an Interior Finisher earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥60,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Construction Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥60,950 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of an Interior Finisher?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026