Engineering professionals (excluding electrical, electronics and telecommunications)

How to become a mining engineer, metallurgist or related professional

Official title: Mining engineers, metallurgists and related professionals

Also called: Extractive metallurgist, Mining engineer, Petroleum and natural gas extraction engineer

Mining engineers, metallurgists and related professionals conduct research on, design, develop and maintain commercial-scale methods of extracting metals from their ores, or minerals, water, oil or gas from the earth, and of developing new alloys, ceramic and other materials, or study and advise on mining or metallurgical aspects of particular materials, products or processes.

Main tasks

Determining the location and planning the extraction of coal, metallic ores, non-metallic minerals, and building materials such as stone and gravel
Determining the most suitable methods of efficient mining and extraction and types of machinery to be used, planning layout and directing construction of shafts and tunnels
Determining drilling sites and devising methods of controlling the flow of water, oil or gas from wells
Planning and directing storage, initial treatment and transportation of water, oil or gas
Establishing safety standards and procedures and first-aid facilities, especially underground
Conducting research, developing methods of extracting metals from their ores and advising on their application
Investigating properties of metals and alloys, developing new alloys and advising on and supervising technical aspects of metal and alloy manufacture and processing
Maintaining technical liaison and consultancy with other relevant specialists such as geologists and geophysicists
Examining deposits or mines to evaluate profitability

Ways in

University: Science degrees, Offered by 21 universities in Hong Kong
University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 14 universities in Hong Kong
Licence or registration: Registering body: Engineers Registration Board. Law: Engineers Registration Ordinance (工程師註冊條例), Cap. 409. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$48,000 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.

Questions people ask

How do I become a mining engineer, metallurgist or related professional?

Ways in include: Science degrees; Engineering degrees.

Do you need a degree to become a mining engineer, metallurgist or related professional?

Usually. 88% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a mining engineer, metallurgist or related professional?

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