Engineering professionals (excluding electrical, electronics and telecommunications)

How to become a civil engineer

Official title: Civil engineers

Also called: Civil engineer, Geotechnical engineer, Structural engineer

Civil engineers conduct research, advise on, design, and direct construction; manage the operation and maintenance of civil engineering structures; or study and advise on technological aspects of particular materials.

Main tasks

Conducting research and developing new or improved theories and methods related to civil engineering
Advising on and designing structures such as bridges, dams, docks, roads, airports, railways, canals, pipelines, waste-disposal and flood-control systems, and industrial and other large buildings
Determining and specifying construction methods, materials and quality standards, and directing construction work
Establishing control systems to ensure efficient functioning of structures as well as safety and environmental protection
Organizing and directing maintenance and repair of existing civil engineering structures
Analysing the behaviour of soil and rock when placed under pressure by proposed structures and designing structural foundations
Analysing the stability of structures and testing the behaviour and durability of materials used in their construction

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 14 universities in Hong Kong
Licence or registration: Registering body: Engineers Registration Board. Law: Engineers Registration Ordinance (工程師註冊條例), Cap. 409. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a civil engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees.

Do you need a degree to become a civil engineer?

Usually. 88% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a civil engineer?

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