Handicraft workers

How to become a handicraft worker in wood, basketry and related materials

Official title: Handicraft workers in wood, basketry and related materials

Also called: Basket maker, Brush maker, Reed weaving handicraft worker, Wicker furniture maker, Wooden articles handicraft worker

Handicraft workers in wood, basketry and related materials apply traditional techniques such as seasoning or impregnation to prepare wood, straw, rattan, reeds, clay, shells and other materials, and carve, mould, assemble, weave or paint and decorate various articles for personal or household use or for decorative purposes. Basketry weavers, brush makers and related workers select and prepare materials such as bristles, nylon, fibre, bass, whisker and wire to make wicker furniture, brushes and brooms, and to weave various kinds of baskets.

Main tasks

Preparing wood, straw, rattan, reeds, shells or similar materials
Carving floral and artistic designs on wooden surfaces for decorative purposes
Painting freehand decorative designs on glass and pottery or porcelain ware
Carving, assembling, weaving, painting and decorating various articles for personal or household use such as salad bowls, serving spoons, cutting-boards, trays, vases, jugs, baskets, straw hats, straw mats and similar objects
Carving, assembling, weaving and painting various decorative articles such as statues and other sculptures, chess pieces, jewellery and similar objects
Making wicker furniture from peeled and softened rattan, reeds, rushes, willow branches and similar materials
Making various kinds of baskets by interlacing osier, rattan, reeds, rushes and similar materials
Forming bottoms of baskets by interlacing strips of rattan, wood veneer or other materials with frameworks of rods of material such as willow
Inserting rods around bottom edges between woven sections of bottom and bending them upright to serve as framework for sides
Selecting and preparing brush materials such as bristles, nylon, fibres and wire, and setting them in brush base

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.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a handicraft worker in wood, basketry 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 wood, basketry 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