How to become a metal working machine tool setter or operator

Official title: Metal working machine tool setters and operators

Also called: Boring machine operator, Casting machine operator, Machine tool operator, Machine tool setter, Machine tool setter-operator, Metal turner, Rivet production machine operator, Tool production machine operator

Metal working machine tool setters and operators set and/or operate various machine tools, working to fine tolerances.

Main tasks

• Setting one or more types of machine tool for production of metal articles in standardized series
• Operating and monitoring metal working machines such as lathes, milling, planing, boring, drilling, grinding or honing machines, including multipurpose numerically controlled metal working machines
• Performing similar tasks when machining plastics and other metal substitutes
• Observing machine operations to detect work piece defects or machine malfunctions, and adjusting machines as necessary
• Inspecting work pieces for defects, and measuring work pieces to determine accuracy of machine operation, using rules, templates or other measuring instruments
• Changing worn machine accessories such as cutting tools and brushes, using hand tools

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Machinist. Machinist (機床工) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 4 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.

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

• Metal polishers, wheel grinders and tool sharpeners
• Blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers
• Toolmakers and related workers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a metal working machine tool setter or operator?

Ways in include: Machinist.

Do you need a degree to become a metal working machine tool setter or operator?

Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Machinist.

Will AI change the work of a metal working machine tool setter or 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