The National Occupational Classification or NOC is Canada’s national system for categorizing occupations. It is used to classify jobs and occupations in the Canadian labour market. The NOC provides a standardized framework for organizing over 40,000 job titles into 520 occupational groups. It is used by the Government of Canada for managing the collection, analysis, and dissemination of occupational statistics and information.
The NOC is also used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to determine eligibility for immigration programs. Many immigration programs have requirements related to the skill level and job duties of the principal applicant’s intended occupation in Canada. The NOC helps IRCC evaluate if an applicant’s occupation qualifies for a particular immigration program. For example, to qualify for Express Entry under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the principal applicant’s occupation must be classified under NOC Skill Levels 0, A or B.
In 2021, the NOC was revised to NOC 2021 Version 1.0. One of the major changes was replacing the “Skill Level” categorization with a new “Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities” or TEER categorization. The TEER categories define the requirements of an occupation by considering the necessary training, education, experience, and responsibilities. There are 6 TEER categories, from TEER 0 to TEER 5, with TEER 0 representing occupations requiring the most training, education, and experience.
For immigration purposes, TEER categories 0, 1, and 2 would generally align with the previous NOC Skill Levels 0, A, and B. Occupations in TEER categories 3 to 5 would typically not qualify for programs requiring high-skilled work experience. However, some occupations in TEER 3 may qualify if they also require a university degree and specialized work experience.
In summary, the NOC and TEER categories are important for immigration to Canada because many immigration programs have eligibility criteria based on an applicant’s intended occupation. The NOC helps to systematically classify occupations, while the TEER categories provide more nuance in defining the requirements and skill level of occupations. For prospective immigrants, understanding the NOC and TEER category of your occupation can help determine which immigration programs you may be eligible for.
The TEER categories in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system used by the Canadian government:
TEER 0 classifies Management occupations requiring the most extensive preparation in terms of training, education, experience, and responsibilities. This includes occupations such as senior managers, medical specialists, etc. These typically require a university degree and several years of experience.
TEER 1 includes occupations requiring university degree, experience, and responsibilities. This includes occupations such as financial advisors, engineers, teachers, nurses, etc. These typically require at least a bachelor’s degree and some work experience.
TEER 2 has occupations usually requiring college education, apprenticeship training of 2 or more years and are of supervisory nature. This includes occupations such as technicians, paralegals, electricians, etc. These typically require a college diploma, apprenticeship, or trades certificate along with work experience.
TEER 3 classifies occupations usually requiring college diploma and/or apprenticeship training of less than 2 years and experience. This includes occupations such as Bakers, Dental assistants, laboratory assistants etc.
TEER 4 includes occupations usually requiring a high school diploma or on-the-job training and experience. This includes occupations such as Retail Salespersons, home child care providers, etc. These typically require several weeks of on-the-job training.
TEER 5: Occupations requiring no formal educational qualification or training, experience, and responsibilities. This includes very entry-level jobs like landscaping labourers, delivery drivers etc. These require a short term work demonstration and essentially no prerequisite training, education or experience.
The TEER categories help provide more nuance in defining the skill requirements of occupations compared to the previous NOC “Skill Level” categories. The TEER categories consider the necessary training, education, experience, and responsibilities to perform an occupation. In general, the lower the TEER category, the more skill, training and experience is required for the occupation.
What does the Numbers in a NOC Code Signify?
In the 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, the numbers in a NOC code signify the following:
The first digit indicates the broad occupational category or skill type. There are 10 skill types, from 0 to 9, that represent broad areas of work. For example, skill type 2 is for “Natural and applied sciences and related occupations”.
The second digit indicates the Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category. There are 6 TEER categories, from 0 to 5. For example, a second digit of 1 means TEER category 1, which requires a university degree. A second digit of 3 means TEER category 3, which usually requires a college education or apprenticeship training.
The third and fourth digits provide more specific occupational groupings within the major and minor groups. For example, NOC code 2113 means “Geoscientists and oceanographers” within the broader “Natural and applied sciences” major group.
The fifth digit, which is new in NOC 2021, provides even more granular occupational classifications. For example, NOC code 21315 means “Information systems analysts and consultants”. The fifth digit 5 indicates a sub-classification within the broader “Information systems analysts and consultants” minor group.
So in summary, the numbers in a NOC code show the skill type, TEER category, minor occupational group, and most detailed occupational classification. The new 5-digit codes in NOC 2021 allow for more precise classification of jobs and skills.
Sure, here is an explanation of the Skill types and TEER levels in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system:
Skill types of National Occupational Classification (NOC) – 0 to 9:
0 – Management occupations: Includes managers in natural and applied sciences, engineering, business, finance and administration, art, culture, recreation and sport. Requires a university degree or extensive experience.
1 – Business, finance and administration occupations: Includes administrative assistants, accounting technicians, bank tellers, dispatchers, etc. Usually requires a college diploma or vocational training.
2 – Natural and applied sciences and related occupations: Includes architects, engineers, computer programmers, scientists, etc. Typically requires a university degree.
3 – Health occupations: Includes physicians, nurses, dental hygienists, pharmacists, etc. Requires specific health-related training, licensing or certification.
4 – Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services: Includes teachers, lawyers, social workers, policy analysts, etc. Typically requires a university degree.
5 – Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport: Includes actors, dancers, athletes, coaches, etc. Training and experience vary significantly between occupations.
6 – Sales and service occupations: Includes retail salespersons, cashiers, food and beverage servers, hairstylists, etc. On-the-job training is common.
7 – Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations: Includes electricians, plumbers, welders, heavy equipment operators, etc. Typically requires completion of an apprenticeship program or vocational training.
8 – Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations: Includes farmers, agricultural workers, fishers, foresters, etc. Training and experience vary significantly between occupations.
9 – Occupations in manufacturing and utilities: Includes industrial butchers, bakers, cabinetmakers, power engineers, etc. Usually requires vocational training or apprenticeship.
Classifications of Major Groups in the NOC TEER 2021:
- 00 – Legislative and senior managers
- 10 – Specialized middle management occupations in administrative services, financial and business services and communication (except broadcasting)
- 11 – Professional occupations in finance and business
- 12 – Administrative and financial supervisors and specialized administrative occupations
- 13 – Administrative occupations and transportation logistics occupations
- 14 – Administrative and financial support and supply chain logistics occupations
- 20 – Specialized middle management occupations in engineering, architecture, science and information systems
- 21 – Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences
- 22 – Technical occupations related to natural and applied sciences
- 30 – Specialized middle management occupations in health care
- 31 – Professional occupations in health
- 32 – Technical occupations in health
- 33 – Assisting occupations in support of health services
- 40 – Managers in public administration, in education and social and community services and in public protection services
- 41 – Professional occupations in law, education, social, community and government services
- 42 – Front-line public protection services and paraprofessional occupations in legal, social, community, education services
- 43 – Assisting occupations in education and in legal and public protection
- 44 – Care providers and public protection support occupations
- 45 – Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations
- 50 – Specialized middle management occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport
- 51 – Professional occupations in art and culture
- 52 – Technical occupations in art, culture and sport
- 53 – Occupations in art, culture and sport
- 54 – Support occupations in sport
- 55 – Support occupations in art and culture
- 60 – Middle management occupations in retail and wholesale trade and customer services
- 62 – Retail sales and service supervisors and specialized occupations in sales and services
- 63 – Occupations in sales and services
- 64 – Sales and service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations
- 65 – Sales and service support occupations
- 70 – Middle management occupations in trades and transportation
- 72 – Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers
- 73 – General trades
- 74 – Mail and message distribution, other transport equipment operators and related maintenance workers
- 75 – Helpers and labourers and other transport drivers, operators and labourers
- 80 – Middle management occupations in production and agriculture
- 82 – Supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production
- 83 – Occupations in natural resources and related production
- 84 – Workers in natural resources, agriculture and related production
- 85 – Harvesting, landscaping and natural resources labourers
- 90 – Middle management occupations in manufacturing and utilities
- 92 – Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and utilities operators and controllers
- 93 – Central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors
- 94 – Machine operators, assemblers and inspectors in processing, manufacturing and printing
- 95 – Labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities
The table below will explain the NOC structure:
| NOC structure | TEER categories | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Management occupations | 1 Occupations usually require a university degree | 2 Occupations usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship training of two or more years; or supervisory occupations | 3 Occupations usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship training of less than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training | 4 Occupations usually require a secondary school diploma; or several weeks of on-the-job training | 5 Occupations usually require short-term work demonstration and no formal education | ||
| Broad occupational categories | 0 Legislative and senior management occupations | 00 | |||||
| 1 Business, finance and administration occupations | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||
| 2 Natural and applied sciences and related occupations | 20 | 21 | 22 | ||||
| 3 Health occupations | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | |||
| 4 Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | |
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | |
| 6 Sales and service occupations | 60 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | ||
| 7 Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations | 70 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | ||
| 8 Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations | 80 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | ||
| 9 Occupations in manufacturing and utilities | 90 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | ||