Building finishers and related trades workers

How to become a Plasterer

Official title: Plasterers

Also called: Dry wall plasterer, Fibrous plasterer, Ornamental plasterer, Plasterer, Solid plasterer, Stucco plasterer

Plasterers install, maintain and repair plasterboard in buildings, and apply decorative and protective coverings of plaster, cement and similar material to the interiors and exteriors of structures.

Main tasks

Applying one or more coats of plaster to interior walls and ceilings of buildings to produce a finished surface
Measuring, marking and installing ornamental plaster panels, and casting and trimming ornamental plaster cornices
Measuring, marking and cutting plasterboard, lifting and positioning panels and securing them to walls, ceilings and battens
Covering joins and nail holes with wet plaster and sealing compounds, and smoothing them using wet brushes and sandpaper
Applying protective and decorative coverings of cement, plaster and similar materials to exterior building surfaces
Making and installing decorative plaster fixtures of fibrous plaster
Applying and finishing acoustic, insulating and fireproofing materials bonded with plaster, plastic cement and similar materials

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler. Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler (磚工／批盪工／瓦工) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 3 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.
Licence or registration: Registering body: Construction Industry Council. Law: Construction Workers Registration Ordinance (建造業工人註冊條例), Cap. 583. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.

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.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Plasterer?

Ways in include: Bricklayer/Plasterer/Tiler.

Do you need a degree to become a Plasterer?

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

Will AI change the work of a Plasterer?

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
Census and Statistics Department: Average daily wages of workers engaged in public sector construction projects, 39 trades (Table 220-20001) (Monthly, 2021 series, 2026-07), 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