How to become an upholsterer or related worker

Official title: Upholsterers and related workers

Also called: Furniture upholsterer, Mattress maker, Orthopaedic upholsterer, Vehicle upholsterer

Upholsterers and related workers install, repair and replace upholstery of furniture, fixtures, orthopaedic appliances, seats, panels, convertible and vinyl tops and other furnishings of automobiles, railway coaches, aircraft, ships and similar items with fabric, leather, rexine or other upholstery material. They also make and repair cushions, quilts and mattresses.

Main tasks

• Discussing upholstery fabric, colour and style with customers and providing cost estimates for upholstering furniture or other items
• Making upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints
• Laying out, measuring and cutting upholstery materials following patterns, templates, sketches or design specifications
• Installing, arranging and securing springs, padding and covering material to furniture frames
• Sewing upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and joining sections of covering materials
• Sewing rips or tears in material, or creating tufting, using needle and thread
• Tacking, gluing or sewing ornamental trims, buckles, braids, buttons and other accessories to covers or frames on upholstered items
• Laying out, cutting, fabricating and installing upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships
• Repairing raw hide coverings of artificial limbs
• Renovating antique furniture using a variety of tools including ripping chisels, magnetic hammers and long needles

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

• Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and hatters
• Sewing, embroidery and related workers
• Garment and related pattern-makers and cutters
• Shoemakers and related workers
• Pelt dressers, tanners and fellmongers

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become an upholsterer or related worker?

Usually not. Only 8% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an upholsterer or related worker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• 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
• 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
• 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