How to become a crop farm labourer

Official title: Crop farm labourers

Also called: Cane planter, Fruit picker, Rice farm labourer, Vegetable picker

Crop farm labourers perform simple and routine tasks on farms in the production of crops such as fruit, nuts, grains and vegetables.

Main tasks

• Digging and shovelling to clear ditches or for other purposes
• Loading and unloading supplies, produce and other materials
• Raking, pitching and stacking straw, hay and similar materials
• Watering, thinning and weeding crops by hand or using hand tools
• Picking fruit, nuts, vegetables and other crops
• Planting and harvesting field crops such as rice, by hand
• Grading, sorting, bunching and packing produce into containers
• Performing minor repairs on fixtures, buildings, equipment and fences

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$14,400 a month
• About 337,600 people in 2025, and about 334,700 projected by 2028. (-0.8%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Garden and horticultural labourers
• Mixed crop and livestock farm labourers
• Livestock farm labourers
• Fishery and aquaculture labourers

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a crop farm labourer?

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

Will AI change the work of a crop farm labourer?

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

Sources

• 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
• 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 (Annual Earnings and Hours Survey): Monthly and hourly wage percentiles by occupational group (5 groups) (Tables 220-23014, 220-23024, 220-23003) (2025 (May to June 2025), released 2026-03-23), 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