Mechanical Surface Treatment Workers

How to become a Thin Film Coating Operator

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 镀膜工

Also called: Chemical Coating Operator

Operates coating equipment to form thin films on workpiece surfaces.

Main tasks

Degreasing, cleaning and derusting parts
Loading workpieces into coating equipment
Running equipment to form a film on the workpiece surface
Testing films and post treating them
Maintaining equipment and tooling and clearing faults in use

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Coating and Protection Technology (470212). Vocational major 470212 Coating and Protection Technology (涂装防护技术), 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: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Surface Finishing Technology (480111). Vocational major 480111 Surface Finishing Technology (表面精饰工艺), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Metal Surface Treatment Technology Applications (660106). Vocational major 660106 Metal Surface Treatment Technology Applications (金属表面处理技术应用), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥71,800 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥54,000 to CN¥94,200. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,800 and one in ten more than CN¥119,400.
This is the figure for the mid group Basic Machining 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¥66,636 a year (2025), middle half CN¥52,606 to CN¥113,520.
This is the figure for the minor group Mechanical Surface Treatment Workers, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Basic Machining Workers holds 1.23% of everyone employed in China; 16.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
35.6% are under 35, 56.1% are 35 to 54 and 8.3% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 40 to 44.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Thin Film Coating Operator?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Coating and Protection Technology (470212); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Surface Finishing Technology (480111).

How much does a Thin Film Coating Operator earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥71,800 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 Basic Machining Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥66,636 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Thin Film Coating Operator?

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