Other stationary plant and machine operators

How to become a glass and ceramics plant operator

Official title: Glass and ceramics plant operators

Also called: Brick kiln operator, Ceramics painting machine operator, Clay mixing machine operato3, Extruding clay press operator, Furnace operator (glass production), Glass blowing machine operator, Glass mixing machine operator, Glass production furnace operator, Pottery kiln operator, Tile kiln operator

Glass and ceramics plant operators monitor and operate kilns, furnaces and other machinery and equipment used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, porcelain, tiles or bricks. They operate machines to anneal, harden or decorate glass and ceramics.

Main tasks

Operating and monitoring glass-making furnaces to make glass by melting and fusing pre-mixed ingredients
Tending hot- or cold-end spray equipment used to coat glassware with surface hardener
Operating and maintaining machines that press or blow molten glass into moulds to form or shape containers such as bottles, jars and drinking glasses
Operating hand presses to mould glass into required shape
Operating drawing kilns to process molten glass into continuous sheets of flat glass
Operating and monitoring floating-glass production plants
Operating and maintaining finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash or polish glass or glass products
Setting and operating press machines to mould ceramic articles from moist clay
Operating machines to mix clay with water to knead it into a suitable plastic condition or semi-liquid form for making ceramic products
Operating and monitoring kilns which bake pottery, porcelain ware, bricks and tiles

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

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.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a glass and ceramics plant operator?

Usually not. Only 10% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a glass and ceramics plant operator?

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