How to become a lifting truck operator

Official title: Lifting truck operators

Also called: Forklift truck driver

Lifting truck operators drive, operate and monitor lifting trucks or similar vehicles to transport, lift and stack pallets with goods.

Main tasks

• Operating and monitoring lifting truck and similar equipment to load and unload, transport, lift and stack goods and pallets in terminals, harbours, warehouses, factories and other establishments
• Positioning lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids and boxes, and securing material or products for transport to designated areas
• Inspecting equipment to identify wear and damage
• Performing routine maintenance on vehicles and equipment
• Keeping records of work undertaken and breakdowns of vehicles

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.

Related jobs

• Crane, hoist and related plant operators
• Earthmoving and related plant operators
• Mobile farm and forestry plant operators

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a lifting truck operator?

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

Will AI change the work of a lifting truck 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