What is the National Occupational Classification (NOC)?

The NOC is a system used by the Government of Canada to classify jobs (occupations). Jobs are grouped according to the type of work a person does and the types of job duties. For instance, if a person wants to apply as a skilled worker they should check the NOC to see which jobs are considered “skilled” (NOC Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B). Find your job title, code and skill level or type.

The job information is broken down into a number of groups. For immigration purposes, the main groups are:

• skill type 0 (zero) – management jobs o examples: information systems managers, construction managers, directors of operations

• skill level A — professional jobs. People usually need a degree from a university for these jobs o examples: doctors, engineers, architects

• skill level B — technical jobs and skilled trades. People usually need a college diploma or to train as an apprentice to do these jobs o examples: chefs, electricians, plumbers

• skill level C — intermediate jobs. These jobs usually need high school and/or job-specific training o examples: long-haul truck drivers, butchers, food and beverage servers

• skill level D — labour jobs. On-the-job training is usually given o examples: cleaning staff, oil field workers, fruit pickers