How to become a handicraft worker in textile, leather and related materials

Official title: Handicraft workers in textile, leather and related materials

Also called: Carpets handicraft worker, Carpet weaver, Cloth weaver, Knitter, Leather handicraft worker, Loom threader, Textile fibre comber, Textile fibre drawer, Textile fibre rover, Textiles handicraft worker, Thread and yarn spinner

Handicraft workers in textile, leather and related materials apply traditional techniques and patterns to produce woven fabrics, knitted, embroidered, woven and other garments and articles for household use, as well as traditional footwear, handbags, belts and other accessories.

Main tasks

• Spinning and dyeing with natural dyestuffs, wool, cotton and other fibres
• Lace-making, and weaving, knitting or embroidering various garments and articles for household use
• Preparing and dyeing hides with natural dyestuffs and making traditional footwear or handbags, belts and other accessories
• Spinning and winding yarn by hand
• Drawing warp threads into looms by hand
• Weaving plain or figured cloth, tapestry, lace, carpets or other fabrics on hand looms
• Making carpets by using a knotting technique
• Knitting garments and other articles on hand-operated machines or by hand
• Crocheting or making braid by hand
• Making nets by hand

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.

Related jobs

• Sign writers, decorative painters, engravers and etchers
• Musical instrument makers and tuners
• Jewellery and precious-metal workers
• Precision-instrument makers and repairers
• Handicraft workers not elsewhere classified
• Glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a handicraft worker in textile, leather and related materials?

Usually not. Only 9% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a handicraft worker in textile, leather and related materials?

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