How to become a cabinet-maker or related worker
Official title: Cabinet-makers and related workers
Also called: Cabinet-maker, Cartwright, Furniture cabinet-maker, Wheelwright, Wood patternmaker
Cabinet-makers and related workers make, decorate and repair wooden furniture, carts and other vehicles, wheels, parts, fittings, patterns, models and other wooden products using woodworking machines, machine tools and specialized hand tools.
Main tasks
- Operating woodworking machines such as power saws, jointers, mortisers and shapers, and using hand tools to cut, shape and form parts and components
- Studying plans, verifying dimensions of articles to be made, or preparing specifications and checking the quality and fit of pieces in order to ensure adherence to specifications
- Trimming joints and fitting parts and subassemblies together to form complete units using glue and clamps, and reinforcing joints using nails, screws or other fasteners
- Making, restyling and repairing various wooden articles such as cabinets, furniture, vehicles, scale models, sports equipment and other parts or products
- Decorating furniture and fixtures by inlaying wood or applying veneer and carving designs
- Finishing surfaces of wooden articles or furniture
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Wood Furniture Maker. Wood Furniture Maker (木製家俬製造工) 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.
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.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a cabinet-maker or related worker?
Ways in include: Wood Furniture Maker.
Do you need a degree to become a cabinet-maker or related worker?
Usually not. Only 8% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Wood Furniture Maker.
Will AI change the work of a cabinet-maker 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
- 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