Mobile plant operators

How to become a crane, hoist and related plant operator

Official title: Crane, hoist and related plant operators

Also called: Cable car operator, Chair-lift operator, Crane operator, Funicular driver, Hoist operator, Mine cage operator, Ski-lift operator

Crane, hoist and related plant operators monitor and operate stationary and mobile cranes and other hoisting equipment.

Main tasks

Operating and monitoring stationary or mobile cranes by raising and lowering jibs and booms to lift, move, position or place equipment and materials
Operating and monitoring equipment for hoisting, lowering or raising workers and materials on construction sites or in mines
Operating and monitoring ski-lifts and similar equipment
Operating and monitoring machinery used to haul ferries or barges with goods, passengers and vehicles across short stretches of water
Operating and monitoring machinery to open and close bridges for the passage of road and water traffic
Operating and monitoring cranes equipped with dredging attachments to dredge waterways and other areas
Operating cranes mounted on boats or barges to lift, move and place equipment and materials

Median pay: HK$20,000 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.

Usually not. Only 2% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

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