Canada’s NOC (National Occupational Classification) is a national system used for describing occupations. This is generally used to determine where a particular occupation is classified and to learn about its daily responsibilities, educational requirements, and other relevant information.
Based on this information, immigrants can apply for their Permanent Residency in Canada under numerous programs available. NOC has a hierarchical structure enabling the collection, analysis, and publication of data standardized at different levels of detail.
Every ten years, NOC undergoes a structural revision where the classification of occupations is reviewed. On September 21, 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada released the new National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021.
The new structural breakdown of the NOC 2021 version:
| 0 | Legislative and senior management occupations |
| 1 | Business, finance, and administration occupations |
| 2 | Natural and applied sciences and related occupations |
| 3 | Health occupations |
| 4 | Occupations in education, law and social, community, and government services |
| 5 | Occupations in art, culture, recreation, and sport |
| 6 | Sales and service occupations |
| 7 | Trades, transport, and equipment operators and related occupations |
| 8 | Natural resources, agriculture, and related production occupations |
| 9 | Occupations in manufacturing and utilities |
The first major change in NOC 2021 is the replacement of NOC 2016 skill levels with TEER (Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities) categories. NOC 2021 no longer assesses the level of skills. It now focuses on:
- Level of training
- Level of formal education
- Level of experience required to gain entry into each occupation
- Level of responsibilities associated with it
| One of the reasons for this change is to avoid the unnecessary creation of a low-skilled vs. high-skilled dichotomy of the NOC 2016 version. Secondly, it is confusing to classify professions based on “skill levels” because the NOC focuses on occupations rather than skills. In TEER, the focus will be on the education and experience required for a particular occupation. |
The second major change in NOC 2021 is the number of TEER categories. There are six TEER categories in the new NOC 2021, up from the current four NOC 2016 skill levels. Below you will find the new TEER categories.
| TEER 0 | Management occupations |
| TEER 1 | Completion of a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate); or
Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 2 (when applicable) |
| TEER 2 | Completion of a post-secondary education program of two or three years at community college, institute of technology or CEGEP; or
Completion of an apprenticeship training program of two to five years; or Occupations with supervisory or significant safety (police officers and firefighters) responsibilities; or Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 3 (when applicable) |
| TEER 3 | Completion of a post-secondary education program of less than two years at community college, institute of technology or CEGEP; or
Apprenticeship training of less than 2 years; or More than six months of on-the-job training, training courses, or specific work experience with some secondary school education; or Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 4 (when applicable). |
| TEER 4 | Completion of secondary school; or
Several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary school education; or Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 5 (when applicable) |
| TEER 5 | Short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements |
The third major change is the structure of NOC 2016, from a four-tiered structure to a five-tiered structure of NOC 2021. The format of NOC 2021 codes is a 5-digit format now. The new 5-digit code is defined as below:
- The first digit represents the broad occupational category;
- The second digit represents the TEER category;
- The first two digits together represent the major group;
- The first three digits represent the sub-major group;
- The first four digits represent the minor group, and finally
- The full five digits represent the unit group or the occupation itself.
For example:
| When the first digit is | Broad Category – Occupation |
| 0 | Legislative and senior management occupations |
| 1 | Business, finance, and administration occupations |
| 2 | Natural and applied sciences and related occupations |
| 3 | Health occupations |
| 4 | Occupations in education, law and social, community, and government services |
| 5 | Occupations in art, culture, recreation, and sport |
| 6 | Sales and service occupations |
| 7 | Trades, transport, and equipment operators and related occupations |
| 8 | Natural resources, agriculture, and related production occupations |
| 9 | Occupations in manufacturing and utilities |
| When the second digit is | The Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibility (TEER) |
| 0 | Management occupations |
| 1 | Completion of a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate); or
Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 2 (when applicable) |
| 2 | Completion of a post-secondary education program of two or three years at community college, institute of technology or CEGEP; or
Completion of an apprenticeship training program of two to five years; or Occupations with supervisory or significant safety (police officers and firefighters) responsibilities; or Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 3 (when applicable) |
| 3 | Completion of a post-secondary education program of less than two years at community college, institute of technology or CEGEP; or
Apprenticeship training of less than 2 years; or More than six months of on-the-job training, training courses, or specific work experience with some secondary school education; or Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 4 (when applicable). |
| 4 | Completion of secondary school; or
Several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary school education; or Several years of experience in a specific occupation from TEER category 5 (when applicable) |
| 5 | Short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements |
The next three digits indicate their hierarchy within the groups.
NOC 2021 Impact on Immigrants in 2022
Upon implementation of NOC 2021 by IRCC and ESDC in 2022, immigrants and foreign workers will be required to verify whether their NOC matches the eligibility requirements for the program they are applying for.
At this moment, information on which TEER categories are eligible for Express Entry programs or other federal and provincial programs has not been announced.
There are 516 occupations in the new TEER System, marking an increment from 500 occupations listed in the NOC 2016. This is a result of the constant evolution in fields such as data science and cybersecurity.
Reference: Statistics Canada, Government of Canada
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