Other personal services workers

How to become a pet groomer or animal care worker

Official title: Pet groomers and animal care workers

Also called: Animal attendant, Dog trainer, Horse breaker, Veterinary aide, Zoo keeper

Pet groomers and animal care workers feed, handle, train and groom animals and assist veterinarians, animal health technologists and technicians in veterinary facilities, animal shelters, breeding and boarding kennels, zoos, laboratories, retail pet shops, riding schools, dog training schools, pet grooming and similar establishments.

Main tasks

Bathing and feeding animals
Leading or carrying animals to treatment rooms and holding them during treatment
Cleaning and sterilizing veterinary surgical instruments
Labelling drugs, chemicals and other pharmaceutical preparations and replenishing stock
Sterilizing bottles, beakers and other equipment
Cleaning, organizing and disinfecting animal quarters such as pens, stables, cages and yards, and animal equipment such as saddles and bridles
Collecting and recording animal information such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given and food intake
Training animals to develop and maintain desired behaviours for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding and other activities
Grooming animals by performing tasks such as washing, brushing, clipping and trimming coats, cutting nails and cleaning ears

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$16,500 a month
About 732,700 people in 2025, and about 740,500 projected by 2028. (+1.1%)
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 pet groomer or animal care worker?

Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a pet groomer or animal care worker?

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
Census and Statistics Department (Annual Earnings and Hours Survey): Monthly and hourly wage percentiles by occupational group (5 groups) (Tables 220-23014, 220-23024, 220-23003) (2025 (May to June 2025), released 2026-03-23), 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