How to become a manufacturing manager
Official title: Manufacturing managers
Also called: Manufacturer, Manufacturing manager, Production and operations manager (manufacturing)
Manufacturing managers plan, direct and coordinate activities concerned with the production of goods, the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water, and the collection, treatment and disposal of waste. They may manage the production departments of large enterprises or be the managers of small manufacturing companies.
Main tasks
- Determining, implementing and monitoring production strategies, policies and plans
- Planning details of production activities in terms of output quality and quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements
- Controlling the operation of production plant and quality procedures through planning of maintenance, designation of operating hours and supply of parts and tools
- Establishing and managing budgets, monitoring production output and costs, and adjusting processes and resources to minimize costs
- Consulting with and informing other managers about production matters
- Overseeing the acquisition and installation of new plant and equipment
- Controlling the preparation of production records and reports
- Coordinating the implementation of occupational health and safety requirements
- Identifying business opportunities and determining products to be manufactured
- Researching and implementing regulatory and statutory requirements affecting manufacturing operations and the environment
Ways in
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 14 universities in Hong Kong
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 33 universities in Hong Kong
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$50,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a manufacturing manager?
Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Business & Commerce degrees.
Do you need a degree to become a manufacturing manager?
Usually. 67% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a manufacturing manager?
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