How to become a plastic products machine operator
Official title: Plastic products machine operators
Also called: Laminated press operator (plastics), Optic fibre drawer, Plastic cable making machine operator, Plastic extrusion machine operator, Plastic moulder, Plastics boat builder, Plastics bottle blowing machine operator, Plastics products machine operator
Plastic products machine operators monitor and operate machines which knead and blend compounds to obtain plastic materials and which make various plastic components and articles.
Main tasks
- Operating and monitoring machines which knead and blend compounds to obtain plastic materials
- Operating and monitoring machines which shape plastic materials by moulding, extrusion, blowing, cutting and other means
- Operating and monitoring machines which laminate plastics and plastic-impregnated materials or produce fibreglass
- Encasing uncoated wire, cord, cable and optic fibre in plastic
- Examining outputs for defects and conformity to specifications
- Recycling waste plastic materials
- Making artificial eyes and contact lens discs, making and repairing spectacle frames and plastic parts of orthopaedic appliances
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$20,000 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.
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Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to become a plastic products machine operator?
Usually not. Only 10% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a plastic products machine 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