National Occupational Category 2021

What is the National Occupational Category (NOC), and why do you need it?

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) Canada is a classification of occupations designed primarily for use in statistical programs. It is also used for employment-related program administration, immigrating to Canada, and to compile, analyze and communicate information about occupations, such as labour market information.

NOC 2021 represents different degrees of training, education, experience, and responsibilities = TEER.

The Standard NOC 2021 Version 1.0 Classification Structure

The standard classification structure uses a five-tiered hierarchical arrangement of occupational groups with successive levels of disaggregation and contains broad, major, sub-major, minor and unit groupings. The structure of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 is based on two key occupational categorizations: Occupational categories and TEER categories, which are identified in the first two digits of the 5-digit code, as shown in the table below.

The hierarchical approach of the NOC ensures collection, dissemination and analysis of data at different levels of detail, in a standardized way. Each number or digit at each hierarchical level has a distinct meaning. Each hierarchical level of the classification is described below, from the most detailed to the most aggregated level. 

Example of coding in NOC 2021 version 1.0: Judges, Lawyers and Quebec notaries  

For information on how a proper NOC fits into your immigration program, please contact us for a consultation.

*Data Source: Occupational classifications, Statistics Canada