How to become a fumigator and other pest and weed controller

Official title: Fumigators and other pest and weed controllers

Also called: Fumigator, Pest controller, Weed controller

Fumigators and other pest and weed controllers use chemicals to remove harmful insects, small animals, wild plants and other unwanted organisms, to prevent damage to crops and to buildings and other structures and their surroundings, and to prevent health risks.

Main tasks

• Operating and monitoring equipment for spraying pests and weeds
• Mixing chemicals according to instructions
• Covering areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions
• Spraying or releasing chemical solutions or toxic gases, and setting traps to kill pests and vermin, such as mice, termites and roaches
• Lifting, pushing and swinging nozzles, hoses and tubes in order to direct spray over designated areas
• Filling sprayer tanks with water and chemicals
• Cleaning and servicing machinery to ensure operating efficiency

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.

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• Craft and related workers not elsewhere classified
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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a fumigator and other pest and weed controller?

Usually not. Only 8% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a fumigator and other pest and weed controller?

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
• 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