Changes to the National Occupational Classification
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada work collaboratively to complete National Occupational Classification (NOC) updates and revisions. Historically, the departments undertook content updates every five years and structural revisions every ten years.
To establish the frequency of updates and revisions, the departments strive to reconcile the need to keep the classification up-to-date with the ability to reflect occupational changes over time, while minimizing disruption to statistical coding and time series analysis. As part of continuous improvement, ESDC and Statistics Canada agreed to update the NOC on a more frequent basis following the publication of the 2016 version of the NOC.
You can find a summary of all the changes that took place since 2001 below:
NOC 2016 updates
NOC 2016 version 1.3 – December 2019
Summary of changes
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) has been developed and maintained as part of a collaborative partnership between Employment and Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada.
This update, released on December 16, 2019, mainly focuses on the standardization of the lead statement and of the main duties sections across the classification. Therefore, these sections were modified for most unit groups (sometimes going through only small alterations) in order to improve consistency and ease of reading.
Some specific changes were made to the lead statement, main duties, and employment requirements sections of NOC 3222 – Dental hygienists and dental therapist.
The main duties of NOC 7201 – Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations, NOC 7202 – Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations, NOC 7203 – Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades, NOC 7204 – Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades, NOC 7205 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers, NOC 7301 – Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades, and NOC 7302 – Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews were also modified to add one generic change.
Finally, job titles were added to or deleted from some unit groups across the classification.
NOC 2016 version 1.2 – December 2018
Summary of changes
This update to the classification was completed in response to the legalization of cannabis for non-medical use. This has resulted in twenty-five new job titles being created in NOC 2016 to reflect new occupations in the cannabis industry.
Code | Job title addition |
---|---|
0212 | quality assurance manager - cannabis |
0621 | cannabis dispensary manager |
0621 | cannabis shop manager |
0822 | master grower - cannabis |
0822 | head grower - cannabis |
2121 | extraction specialist - cannabis |
2211 | quality control technician - cannabis |
2225 | cloning technician - cannabis |
2225 | cultivation technician |
3233 | nurse educator - cannabis |
6421 | budtender - cannabis |
6421 | bud expert - cannabis |
6421 | cannabis educator |
6421 | cannabis consultant |
7514 | cannabis courier |
7514 | cannabis delivery driver |
8255 | section grower - cannabis |
8255 | lead grower - cannabis |
8432 | cannabis trimmer |
8432 | cannabis trim worker |
8432 | grower - cannabis |
9213 | production supervisor - cannabis processing |
9213 | cannabis processing supervisor |
9461 | encapsulator - cannabis processing |
9617 | cannabis processing labourer |
NOC 2016 version 1.1 – December 2017
Summary of changes
ESDC and Statistics Canada reviewed the proposed changes that were submitted through the consultation process. Structural changes have not been included in this update; these will be taken into account as part of the NOC 2021 revision.
The following tables list the changes made as part of this update:
Code | Job title addition |
---|---|
0213 | computer systems integration manager |
1311 | finance technician |
2152 | senior landscape architect |
2171 | management information systems (MIS) consultant |
2171 | software quality assurance (QA) auditor |
2172 | data scientist |
2173 | cloud engineer |
2173 | cloud administrator |
2173 | cloud architect |
2174 | cloud developer |
6532 | zipline guide |
7441 | window film installer |
Code | Job title deletion |
---|---|
0213 | systems integration manager – computer systems |
0213 | MIS (management information system) manager |
0213 | IT (information technology) development manager |
0213 | systems manager – computer systems |
0213 | systems development manager – computer systems |
0213 | systems operations manager – computer systems |
2152 | landscape planner |
2152 | golf course architect |
2171 | IT (information technology) business analyst |
2171 | information systems quality assurance analyst |
2171 | software QA (quality assurance) analyst |
2171 | EDP (electronic data processing) auditor |
2172 | DBA (database analyst) |
2172 | DBA (database architect) |
2172 | DBA (database administrator) |
2172 | database architect dba |
2173 | artificial intelligence designer |
2173 | technical architect – software |
2173 | systems designer – software |
2173 | systems integration engineer – software |
2173 | test engineer, software |
2174 | Java programmer |
2174 | visual basic programmer |
2174 | EDP (electronic data processing) applications programmer |
2174 | PC (personal computer) application developer |
NOC 2016 version 1.0 – May 2017
Summary of changes
English job title | Type of clarification to NOC 2016 |
---|---|
child life specialist | addition to 4212 |
dimensional inspector - machine shop | move to 7231 (from 9416) |
fire suppression crewman/woman – forestry | job title change: "forestry" added to job title (8422) |
fire crewman/woman – forestry | job title change: "forestry" added to job title (8422) |
garbage collector | addition to 7621 |
metal scaffold erector | move to 7236 (from 7611) |
metal scaffold erector | move to 7236 (from 7611) |
metal scaffold erector helper | addition to 7611 |
military police officer | addition to 4313 |
military policeman/woman | addition to 4313 |
paper maker – control operation | job title change: “control operation” added to job title (9235) |
realtor | move to 6232 (from 0121) |
real estate broker | move to 0121 (from 6232) |
snow removal equipment operator – private home | addition to 7521 |
NOC 2016 – October 2016
The purpose of the 2016 revision of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) has been to: update the classification to incorporate emerging occupations and new job titles while maintaining historical comparability; remove redundant or obsolete job titles to optimize readability and navigation of the NOC; incorporate editorial changes; integrate the concept of inclusions at the unit group level; and add NOC major and minor groups definitions.
The structure of NOC 2016 remains unchanged from that of NOC 2011. No major groups, minor groups, or unit groups have been added, deleted, or combined, though some groups have modified labels or updated content.
Job title changes at the unit group and minor group levels and updates to the definitions of some unit groups reflect added information, correction of terminology to correspond with current usage, and the evolution of some occupations and where they are classified.
Many new job titles have been added to NOC 2016, which arise as the division of labour in Canadian society evolves, creating new jobs and new specializations, and as technological change brings with it new terminology. Some of the titles added to reflect such changes are: geodesist, medical archivist, crime scene examiner, corrosion technologist, video game tester, and biomass plant technicians. Other added titles are modified versions, or alternatives, that appeared in previous versions of the NOC and have been added to help users find particular occupations. For example, power plant stationary engineer appeared in earlier versions of the NOC; operating engineer - power plant has been added.
To clarify the boundaries between occupations, a few titles have been re-assigned to a different unit group in NOC 2016. The impact of this on the comparability of data between 2011 and 2016 is negligible. For example, Admission director – health care has been moved from Managers in health care (0311) to Other administrative services managers (0114). This change will have a minimal impact on the unit groups affected, and provides a more appropriate placement. In all other cases where titles have been moved, this was done to clarify the boundaries and improve content description of these unit groups. For example, the titles ‘tax collector’ and ‘collector of taxes’ were being coded in Collectors (1435) rather than in Employment insurance, immigration, border services and revenue officers (1228).
With the transition to a paperless environment and content digitalization, significant format changes were made to the list of job titles contained in the NOC. To optimize the use of the NOC, redundant or obsolete job titles were removed. In the past, titles appeared in both in natural order (e.g., travel agent) and in inverted order (e.g., agent, travel). Inverted titles used a comma as a separator in the title string making it easier to find titles in a paper publication. As this concept became outdated and redundant in web publications and data files, more than 10 000 duplicates entries were removed for the NOC 2016.
The NOC is structured in accordance with the Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM): Statistical Classifications Model. In order to comply with the demands of GSIM, the NOC was revised with the addition of inclusions to supplement the existing illustrative examples and exclusions. Inclusions are borderline cases for the unit group. They are presented separately in order to clarify the contents of the class. Note that creation of Inclusions does not change the boundaries of any NOC unit group.
Summary of changes
Table 1 – Modified unit group labels
Code | 2011 label | 2016 label |
---|---|---|
0433 | Commissioned officers of the Canadian Forces | Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces |
1432 | Payroll clerks | Payroll administrators |
4313 | Non-commissioned ranks of the Canadian Forces | Non-commissioned ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces |
7313 | Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics | Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics |
9213 | Supervisors, food, beverage and associated products processing | Supervisors, food and beverage processing |
9232 | Petroleum, gas and chemical process operators | Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing |
9461 | Process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing | Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing |
9465 | Testers and graders, food, beverage and associated products processing | Testers and graders, food and beverage processing |
9617 | Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing | Labourers in food and beverage processing |
Table 2 – Modified unit group descriptions
Table 2 contains the list of the 314 of the 500 unit groups that were revised for the 2016 NOC revision. Some unit groups in this list reflect only editorial changes.
Code | Label |
---|---|
0011 | Legislators |
0012 | Senior government managers and officials |
0013 | Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services |
0014 | Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations |
0015 | Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services, n.e.c. |
0016 | Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities |
0111 | Financial managers |
0112 | Human resources managers |
0113 | Purchasing managers |
0121 | Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers |
0122 | Banking, credit and other investment managers |
0124 | Advertising, marketing and public relations managers |
0131 | Telecommunication carriers managers |
0213 | Computer and information systems managers |
0421 | Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training |
0422 | School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education |
0431 | Commissioned police officers |
0432 | Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers |
0433 | Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces |
0511 | Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers |
0513 | Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors |
0712 | Home building and renovation managers |
0714 | Facility operation and maintenance managers |
0731 | Managers in transportation |
0821 | Managers in agriculture |
0912 | Utilities managers |
1111 | Financial auditors and accountants |
1112 | Financial and investment analysts |
1113 | Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers |
1114 | Other financial officers |
1121 | Human resources professionals |
1122 | Professional occupations in business management consulting |
1123 | Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations |
1211 | Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers |
1213 | Supervisors, library, correspondence and related information workers |
1215 | Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling co-ordination occupations |
1223 | Human resources and recruitment officers |
1227 | Court officers and justices of the peace |
1228 | Employment insurance, immigration, border services and revenue officers |
1241 | Administrative assistants |
1242 | Legal administrative assistants |
1243 | Medical administrative assistants |
1251 | Court reporters, medical transcriptionists and related occupations |
1253 | Records management technicians |
1312 | Insurance adjusters and claims examiners |
1314 | Assessors, valuators and appraisers |
1315 | Customs, ship and other brokers |
1414 | Receptionists |
1423 | Desktop publishing operators and related occupations |
1432 | Payroll administrators |
1434 | Banking, insurance and other financial clerks |
1452 | Correspondence, publication and regulatory clerks |
1454 | Survey interviewers and statistical clerks |
1523 | Production logistics co-ordinators |
1524 | Purchasing and inventory control workers |
1525 | Dispatchers |
2111 | Physicists and astronomers |
2112 | Chemists |
2113 | Geoscientists and oceanographers |
2114 | Meteorologists and climatologists |
2115 | Other professional occupations in physical sciences |
2121 | Biologists and related scientists |
2122 | Forestry professionals |
2147 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
2148 | Other professional engineers, n.e.c. |
2151 | Architects |
2152 | Landscape architects |
2153 | Urban and land use planners |
2154 | Land surveyors |
2161 | Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries |
2171 | Information systems analysts and consultants |
2172 | Database analysts and data administrators |
2173 | Software engineers and designers |
2174 | Computer programmers and interactive media developers |
2211 | Chemical technologists and technicians |
2212 | Geological and mineral technologists and technicians |
2221 | Biological technologists and technicians |
2222 | Agricultural and fish products inspectors |
2223 | Forestry technologists and technicians |
2225 | Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists |
2231 | Civil engineering technologists and technicians |
2232 | Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians |
2233 | Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians |
2241 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians |
2244 | Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors |
2251 | Architectural technologists and technicians |
2252 | Industrial designers |
2253 | Drafting technologists and technicians |
2254 | Land survey technologists and technicians |
2255 | Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology |
2262 | Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers |
2263 | Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety |
2264 | Construction inspectors |
2271 | Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors |
2272 | Air traffic controllers and related occupations |
2275 | Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators |
2281 | Computer network technicians |
2282 | User support technicians |
2283 | Information systems testing technicians |
3011 | Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors |
3012 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
3111 | Specialist physicians |
3112 | General practitioners and family physicians |
3113 | Dentists |
3121 | Optometrists |
3124 | Allied primary health practitioners |
3125 | Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating |
3131 | Pharmacists |
3132 | Dietitians and nutritionists |
3141 | Audiologists and speech-language pathologists |
3142 | Physiotherapists |
3143 | Occupational therapists |
3144 | Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment |
3211 | Medical laboratory technologists |
3212 | Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants |
3214 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
3215 | Medical radiation technologists |
3216 | Medical sonographers |
3217 | Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. |
3219 | Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health) |
3222 | Dental hygienists and dental therapists |
3232 | Practitioners of natural healing |
3233 | Licensed practical nurses |
3234 | Paramedical occupations |
3237 | Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
3411 | Dental assistants |
3413 | Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
3414 | Other assisting occupations in support of health services |
4012 | Post-secondary teaching and research assistants |
4021 | College and other vocational instructors |
4031 | Secondary school teachers |
4151 | Psychologists |
4152 | Social workers |
4154 | Professional occupations in religion |
4155 | Probation and parole officers and related occupations |
4156 | Employment counsellors |
4161 | Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
4163 | Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants |
4164 | Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
4167 | Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
4168 | Program officers unique to government |
4169 | Other professional occupations in social science, n.e.c. |
4211 | Paralegal and related occupations |
4214 | Early childhood educators and assistants |
4216 | Other instructors |
4217 | Other religious occupations |
4311 | Police officers (except commissioned) |
4312 | Firefighters |
4411 | Home child care providers |
4412 | Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations |
4422 | Correctional service officers |
4423 | By-law enforcement and other regulatory officers, n.e.c. |
5111 | Librarians |
5112 | Conservators and curators |
5125 | Translators, terminologists and interpreters |
5131 | Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations |
5132 | Conductors, composers and arrangers |
5133 | Musicians and singers |
5134 | Dancers |
5135 | Actors and comedians |
5136 | Painters, sculptors and other visual artists |
5211 | Library and public archive technicians |
5212 | Technical occupations related to museums and art galleries |
5223 | Graphic arts technicians |
5226 | Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts |
5227 | Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts |
5231 | Announcers and other broadcasters |
5232 | Other performers, n.e.c. |
5241 | Graphic designers and illustrators |
5242 | Interior designers and interior decorators |
5243 | Theatre, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers |
5244 | Artisans and craftspersons |
5252 | Coaches |
6311 | Food service supervisors |
6312 | Executive housekeepers |
6313 | Accommodation, travel, tourism and related services supervisors |
6314 | Customer and information services supervisors |
6321 | Chefs |
6322 | Cooks |
6331 | Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale |
6332 | Bakers |
6341 | Hairstylists and barbers |
6342 | Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and milliners |
6343 | Shoe repairers and shoemakers |
6344 | Jewellers, jewellery and watch repairers and related occupations |
6345 | Upholsterers |
6346 | Funeral directors and embalmers |
6511 | Maîtres d'hôtel and hosts/hostesses |
6513 | Food and beverage servers |
6521 | Travel counsellors |
6522 | Pursers and flight attendants |
6523 | Airline ticket and service agents |
6524 | Ground and water transport ticket agents, cargo service representatives and related clerks |
6525 | Hotel front desk clerks |
6531 | Tour and travel guides |
6532 | Outdoor sport and recreational guides |
6533 | Casino occupations |
6541 | Security guards and related security service occupations |
6552 | Other customer and information services representatives |
6561 | Image, social and other personal consultants |
6562 | Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations |
6564 | Other personal service occupations |
6611 | Cashiers |
6621 | Service station attendants |
6623 | Other sales related occupations |
6711 | Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations |
6721 | Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities set-up services |
6722 | Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport |
6731 | Light duty cleaners |
6732 | Specialized cleaners |
6733 | Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents |
6741 | Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations |
6742 | Other service support occupations, n.e.c. |
7201 | Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations |
7203 | Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades |
7204 | Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades |
7231 | Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors |
7232 | Tool and die makers |
7233 | Sheet metal workers |
7235 | Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters |
7237 | Welders and related machine operators |
7245 | Telecommunications line and cable workers |
7246 | Telecommunications installation and repair workers |
7247 | Cable television service and maintenance technicians |
7252 | Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers |
7284 | Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers |
7291 | Roofers and shinglers |
7311 | Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics |
7312 | Heavy-duty equipment mechanics |
7313 | Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics |
7314 | Railway carmen/women |
7315 | Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors |
7321 | Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers |
7322 | Motor vehicle body repairers |
7331 | Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics |
7332 | Appliance servicers and repairers |
7333 | Electrical mechanics |
7334 | Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics |
7335 | Other small engine and small equipment repairers |
7361 | Railway and yard locomotive engineers |
7362 | Railway conductors and brakemen/women |
7371 | Crane operators |
7372 | Drillers and blasters – surface mining, quarrying and construction |
7373 | Water well drillers |
7384 | Other trades and related occupations, n.e.c. |
7442 | Waterworks and gas maintenance workers |
7452 | Material handlers |
7511 | Transport truck drivers |
7512 | Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators |
7513 | Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs |
7521 | Heavy equipment operators (except crane) |
7522 | Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers |
7532 | Water transport deck and engine room crew |
7533 | Boat and cable ferry operators and related occupations |
7622 | Railway and motor transport labourers |
8232 | Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers |
8241 | Logging machinery operators |
8252 | Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers |
8261 | Fishing masters and officers |
8262 | Fishermen/women |
8412 | Oil and gas well drilling and related workers and services operators |
8421 | Chain saw and skidder operators |
8431 | General farm workers |
8432 | Nursery and greenhouse workers |
8441 | Fishing vessel deckhands |
8442 | Trappers and hunters |
8611 | Harvesting labourers |
8612 | Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers |
8613 | Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers |
8614 | Mine labourers |
8616 | Logging and forestry labourers |
9211 | Supervisors, mineral and metal processing |
9212 | Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities |
9213 | Supervisors, food and beverage processing |
9215 | Supervisors, forest products processing |
9222 | Supervisors, electronics manufacturing |
9232 | Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing |
9241 | Power engineers and power systems operators |
9243 | Water and waste treatment plant operators |
9411 | Machine operators, mineral and metal processing |
9412 | Foundry workers |
9413 | Glass forming and finishing machine operators and glass cutters |
9414 | Concrete, clay and stone forming operators |
9416 | Metalworking and forging machine operators |
9421 | Chemical plant machine operators |
9422 | Plastics processing machine operators |
9423 | Rubber processing machine operators and related workers |
9431 | Sawmill machine operators |
9436 | Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders |
9441 | Textile fibre and yarn, hide and pelt processing machine operators and workers |
9442 | Weavers, knitters and other fabric making occupations |
9445 | Fabric, fur and leather cutters |
9461 | Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing |
9462 | Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers |
9463 | Fish and seafood plant workers |
9465 | Testers and graders, food and beverage processing |
9472 | Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations |
9473 | Binding and finishing machine operators |
9521 | Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors |
9522 | Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers |
9523 | Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers |
9524 | Assemblers and inspectors, electrical appliance, apparatus and equipment manufacturing |
9525 | Assemblers, fabricators and inspectors, industrial electrical motors and transformers |
9526 | Mechanical assemblers and inspectors |
9527 | Machine operators and inspectors, electrical apparatus manufacturing |
9531 | Boat assemblers and inspectors |
9532 | Furniture and fixture assemblers and inspectors |
9533 | Other wood products assemblers and inspectors |
9534 | Furniture finishers and refinishers |
9535 | Plastic products assemblers, finishers and inspectors |
9536 | Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators |
9537 | Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors |
9618 | Labourers in fish and seafood processing |
Table 3 – Placement of titles in unit groups
Some job titles were moved from one unit group to another to better define the content of the unit groups.
Title | 2011 unit group | 2016 unit group |
---|---|---|
admission director – health care | 0311 | 0114 |
tax collector; collector of taxes | 1435 | 1228 |
fire suppression crew foreman/woman - forestry | 8211 | 2223 |
prevention officer - occupational health and safety | 4165 | 2263 |