How to become a physiotherapy technician or assistant

Official title: Physiotherapy technicians and assistants

Also called: Acupressure therapist, Electrotherapist, Hydrotherapist, Massage therapist, Physical rehabilitation technician, Physiotherapy technician, Shiatsu therapist

Physiotherapy technicians and assistants provide physical therapeutic treatments to patients in circumstances where functional movement is threatened by injury, disease or impairment. Therapies are usually provided according to rehabilitative plans established by a physiotherapist or other health professional.

Main tasks

• Administering manual treatments such as massage therapy or pressure point therapy
• Administering electrical modality treatments, ultrasound and other physical therapies using specialized techniques and equipment
• Instructing, motivating, safeguarding and assisting patients as they practise physical exercises, relaxation techniques and functional activities
• Conferring with physiotherapists or other health care providers to evaluate patient information for planning, modifying and coordinating treatment
• Monitoring and recording patients’ progress during treatment, including measuring their range-of-joint motion and vital signs
• Fitting patients for orthopaedic braces, prostheses and other physical support devices such as crutches, and instructing patients in the use of such devices

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$27,000 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.

Related jobs

• Ambulance workers
• Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified
• Dispensing opticians
• Medical records and health information technicians
• Medical assistants
• Environmental and occupational health inspectors and associates

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a physiotherapy technician or assistant?

Not always. 35% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a physiotherapy technician or assistant?

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