How to become a Roofer

Official title: Roofers

Also called: Asphalt roofer, Metal roofer, Roof fixer, Roof tiler, Slate roofer, Thatcher

Roofers build and repair roofs on all types of buildings, using one or more kinds of material.

Main tasks

• Studying drawings, specifications and construction sites to determine materials required
• Covering roof frameworks with slate and prefabricated tiles to cover pitched roofs
• Laying a waterproof shield and fixing metallic or synthetic materials to a building’s frame
• Sizing and cutting roofing materials to fit around edges, corners and protuberances such as chimneys
• Using natural materials such as thatching to provide roof coverings
• Creating temporary structures such as scaffolding and ladders

Ways in

• 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.

Related jobs

• Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics
• Insulation workers
• Glaziers
• Plasterers
• Plumbers and pipe fitters
• Floor layers and tile setters

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a Roofer?

Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Roofer?

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