Textile, fur and leather products machine operators

How to become a weaving and knitting machine operator

Official title: Weaving and knitting machine operators

Also called: Carpet weaving machine operator, Knitting machine operator, Net production machine operator, Weaving machine operator

Weaving and knitting machine operators set up, operate and monitor weaving and knitting machines which process yarn or thread into woven, non-woven and knitted products such as cloth, lace, carpets, industrial fabric, hosiery and knitted garments, or to quilt and embroider fabric.

Main tasks

Setting up and operating batteries of automatic, link-type knitting machines to knit garments of specified pattern and design
Threading yarn, thread and fabric through guides, needles and rollers of machines for weaving, knitting or other processing
Tending automatic looms that simultaneously weave pile yarn, filling yarn and warp yarn material to produce carpets and rugs with various coloured designs
Operating and monitoring looms on which yarn or twist is intersected and knotted at regular intervals to form mesh
Operating and monitoring large automatic multi-needle machines to embroider material or to sew lengths of several layers of material to make yard goods, quilts or mattress coverings
Tending circular knitting machines with automatic pattern controls that knit seamless hose
Operating and monitoring knitting machines to knit hosiery to shape of foot and leg
Operating and monitoring machines for knitting heels and toes of socks into ribs or tops cut from circular fabric
Operating and monitoring machines which seam openings in toes of socks
Operating and monitoring crochet machines to knit lace, trimming, etc. of desired patterns or design

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.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a weaving and knitting 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 weaving and knitting 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