How to become a spray painter or varnisher
Official title: Spray painters and varnishers
Also called: Manufactured articles painter, Varnisher, Vehicle painter
Spray painters and varnishers operate spray painting and varnishing equipment to apply protective coatings to manufactured items or structures.
Main tasks
- Preparing surfaces to be coated using a variety of methods to remove grease, dirt and rust
- Painting cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles, and applying varnish and other protective coatings
- Applying paint as well as protective coatings of enamel or varnish on metal, wooden and other manufactured products, usually with a hand-spraying device
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Painter/Decorator (Furniture). Painter/Decorator (Furniture) (髹漆工／裝飾工(家俬)) 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 Painter. Vehicle Painter (汽車油漆技工) 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.
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
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Questions people ask
How do I become a spray painter or varnisher?
Ways in include: Painter/Decorator (Furniture).
Do you need a degree to become a spray painter or varnisher?
Usually not. Only 4% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Painter/Decorator (Furniture).
Will AI change the work of a spray painter or varnisher?
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