Sheet and structural metal workers, moulders and welders, and other related workers

How to become a sheet-metal worker

Official title: Sheet-metal workers

Also called: Boilersmith, Coppersmith, Panel beater, Tinsmith

Sheet metal workers make, install and repair articles and parts of articles made out of sheet metal such as sheet steel, copper, tin, brass, aluminium, zinc or galvanized iron.

Main tasks

Marking sheet metal for cutting and shaping
Making and repairing household utensils and other articles in tin, copper and light alloys, or ornamental articles and fittings
Making and repairing boilers, tanks, vats and similar containers
Installing and repairing sheet metal parts of vehicles and aircraft
Converting blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction and assembly of sheet metal products
Determining project requirements, including scope, assembly sequences and required methods and materials, according to blueprints, drawings and written or verbal instructions
Inspecting product quality and installation to ensure conformity with specifications

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Metal Furniture Maker. Metal Furniture Maker (金屬家俬製造工) 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.
Apprenticeship: Vehicle Body Repairer/Builder. Vehicle Body Repairer/Builder (車身修理技工／車身建造技工) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 4 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.
Apprenticeship: Vehicle Panel Beater/Body Builder. Vehicle Panel Beater/Body Builder (汽車修理技工／車身建造技工) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 4 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.

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 sheet-metal worker?

Ways in include: Metal Furniture Maker.

Do you need a degree to become a sheet-metal worker?

Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Metal Furniture Maker.

Will AI change the work of a sheet-metal 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
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