Building frame and related trades workers

How to become a bricklayer or related worker

Official title: Bricklayers and related workers

Also called: Block layer, Bricklayer, Chimney builder, Refractory bricklayer

Bricklayers and related workers lay bricks, pre-cut stones and other types of building blocks in mortar to construct and repair walls, partitions, arches and other structures.

Main tasks

Laying stone, brick and similar building blocks to construct or repair walls, partitions, fireplaces and other structures such as smokestacks, furnaces, converters, kilns and ovens, piers and abutments
Laying footpaths, kerbs and pavements
Laying bricks or other masonry to build patios, garden walls and other decorative installations

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler. Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler (磚工／批盪工／瓦工) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 3 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.
Licence or registration: Registering body: Construction Industry Council. Law: Construction Workers Registration Ordinance (建造業工人註冊條例), Cap. 583. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$21,000 a month
About 387,500 people in 2025, and about 403,200 projected by 2028. (+4.1%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a bricklayer or related worker?

Ways in include: Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler.

Do you need a degree to become a bricklayer or related worker?

Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler.

Will AI change the work of a bricklayer or related worker?

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

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department: Average daily wages of workers engaged in public sector construction projects, 39 trades (Table 220-20001) (Monthly, 2021 series, 2026-07), 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

Updated 4 October 2026