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.

CodeLabel
0011Legislators
0012Senior government managers and officials
0013Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services
0014Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
0015Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services, n.e.c.
0016Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities
0111Financial managers
0112Human resources managers
0113Purchasing managers
0121Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers
0122Banking, credit and other investment managers
0124Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
0131Telecommunication carriers managers
0213Computer and information systems managers
0421Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training
0422School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
0431Commissioned police officers
0432Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
0433Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces
0511Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers
0513Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
0712Home building and renovation managers
0714Facility operation and maintenance managers
0731Managers in transportation
0821Managers in agriculture
0912Utilities managers
1111Financial auditors and accountants
1112Financial and investment analysts
1113Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers
1114Other financial officers
1121Human resources professionals
1122Professional occupations in business management consulting
1123Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
1211Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers
1213Supervisors, library, correspondence and related information workers
1215Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling co-ordination occupations
1223Human resources and recruitment officers
1227Court officers and justices of the peace
1228Employment insurance, immigration, border services and revenue officers
1241Administrative assistants
1242Legal administrative assistants
1243Medical administrative assistants
1251Court reporters, medical transcriptionists and related occupations
1253Records management technicians
1312Insurance adjusters and claims examiners
1314Assessors, valuators and appraisers
1315Customs, ship and other brokers
1414Receptionists
1423Desktop publishing operators and related occupations
1432Payroll administrators
1434Banking, insurance and other financial clerks
1452Correspondence, publication and regulatory clerks
1454Survey interviewers and statistical clerks
1523Production logistics co-ordinators
1524Purchasing and inventory control workers
1525Dispatchers
2111Physicists and astronomers
2112Chemists
2113Geoscientists and oceanographers
2114Meteorologists and climatologists
2115Other professional occupations in physical sciences
2121Biologists and related scientists
2122Forestry professionals
2147Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
2148Other professional engineers, n.e.c.
2151Architects
2152Landscape architects
2153Urban and land use planners
2154Land surveyors
2161Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
2171Information systems analysts and consultants
2172Database analysts and data administrators
2173Software engineers and designers
2174Computer programmers and interactive media developers
2211Chemical technologists and technicians
2212Geological and mineral technologists and technicians
2221Biological technologists and technicians
2222Agricultural and fish products inspectors
2223Forestry technologists and technicians
2225Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists
2231Civil engineering technologists and technicians
2232Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
2233Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians
2241Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
2244Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors
2251Architectural technologists and technicians
2252Industrial designers
2253Drafting technologists and technicians
2254Land survey technologists and technicians
2255Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology
2262Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers
2263Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety
2264Construction inspectors
2271Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
2272Air traffic controllers and related occupations
2275Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
2281Computer network technicians
2282User support technicians
2283Information systems testing technicians
3011Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
3012Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
3111Specialist physicians
3112General practitioners and family physicians
3113Dentists
3121Optometrists
3124Allied primary health practitioners
3125Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
3131Pharmacists
3132Dietitians and nutritionists
3141Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142Physiotherapists
3143Occupational therapists
3144Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
3211Medical laboratory technologists
3212Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants
3214Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215Medical radiation technologists
3216Medical sonographers
3217Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
3219Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
3222Dental hygienists and dental therapists
3232Practitioners of natural healing
3233Licensed practical nurses
3234Paramedical occupations
3237Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
3411Dental assistants
3413Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
3414Other assisting occupations in support of health services
4012Post-secondary teaching and research assistants
4021College and other vocational instructors
4031Secondary school teachers
4151Psychologists
4152Social workers
4154Professional occupations in religion
4155Probation and parole officers and related occupations
4156Employment counsellors
4161Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4163Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants
4164Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4167Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4168Program officers unique to government
4169Other professional occupations in social science, n.e.c.
4211Paralegal and related occupations
4214Early childhood educators and assistants
4216Other instructors
4217Other religious occupations
4311Police officers (except commissioned)
4312Firefighters
4411Home child care providers
4412Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
4422Correctional service officers
4423By-law enforcement and other regulatory officers, n.e.c.
5111Librarians
5112Conservators and curators
5125Translators, terminologists and interpreters
5131Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
5132Conductors, composers and arrangers
5133Musicians and singers
5134Dancers
5135Actors and comedians
5136Painters, sculptors and other visual artists
5211Library and public archive technicians
5212Technical occupations related to museums and art galleries
5223Graphic arts technicians
5226Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
5227Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts
5231Announcers and other broadcasters
5232Other performers, n.e.c.
5241Graphic designers and illustrators
5242Interior designers and interior decorators
5243Theatre, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers
5244Artisans and craftspersons
5252Coaches
6311Food service supervisors
6312Executive housekeepers
6313Accommodation, travel, tourism and related services supervisors
6314Customer and information services supervisors
6321Chefs
6322Cooks
6331Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
6332Bakers
6341Hairstylists and barbers
6342Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and milliners
6343Shoe repairers and shoemakers
6344Jewellers, jewellery and watch repairers and related occupations
6345Upholsterers
6346Funeral directors and embalmers
6511Maîtres d'hôtel and hosts/hostesses
6513Food and beverage servers
6521Travel counsellors
6522Pursers and flight attendants
6523Airline ticket and service agents
6524Ground and water transport ticket agents, cargo service representatives and related clerks
6525Hotel front desk clerks
6531Tour and travel guides
6532Outdoor sport and recreational guides
6533Casino occupations
6541Security guards and related security service occupations
6552Other customer and information services representatives
6561Image, social and other personal consultants
6562Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations
6564Other personal service occupations
6611Cashiers
6621Service station attendants
6623Other sales related occupations
6711Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations
6721Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities set-up services
6722Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport
6731Light duty cleaners
6732Specialized cleaners
6733Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
6741Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations
6742Other service support occupations, n.e.c.
7201Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
7203Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
7204Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
7231Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
7232Tool and die makers
7233Sheet metal workers
7235Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters
7237Welders and related machine operators
7245Telecommunications line and cable workers
7246Telecommunications installation and repair workers
7247Cable television service and maintenance technicians
7252Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
7284Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
7291Roofers and shinglers
7311Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
7312Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
7313Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
7314Railway carmen/women
7315Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
7321Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
7322Motor vehicle body repairers
7331Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics
7332Appliance servicers and repairers
7333Electrical mechanics
7334Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics
7335Other small engine and small equipment repairers
7361Railway and yard locomotive engineers
7362Railway conductors and brakemen/women
7371Crane operators
7372Drillers and blasters – surface mining, quarrying and construction
7373Water well drillers
7384Other trades and related occupations, n.e.c.
7442Waterworks and gas maintenance workers
7452Material handlers
7511Transport truck drivers
7512Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators
7513Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs
7521Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
7522Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers
7532Water transport deck and engine room crew
7533Boat and cable ferry operators and related occupations
7622Railway and motor transport labourers
8232Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
8241Logging machinery operators
8252Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
8261Fishing masters and officers
8262Fishermen/women
8412Oil and gas well drilling and related workers and services operators
8421Chain saw and skidder operators
8431General farm workers
8432Nursery and greenhouse workers
8441Fishing vessel deckhands
8442Trappers and hunters
8611Harvesting labourers
8612Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
8613Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers
8614Mine labourers
8616Logging and forestry labourers
9211Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
9212Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
9213Supervisors, food and beverage processing
9215Supervisors, forest products processing
9222Supervisors, electronics manufacturing
9232Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing
9241Power engineers and power systems operators
9243Water and waste treatment plant operators
9411Machine operators, mineral and metal processing
9412Foundry workers
9413Glass forming and finishing machine operators and glass cutters
9414Concrete, clay and stone forming operators
9416Metalworking and forging machine operators
9421Chemical plant machine operators
9422Plastics processing machine operators
9423Rubber processing machine operators and related workers
9431Sawmill machine operators
9436Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders
9441Textile fibre and yarn, hide and pelt processing machine operators and workers
9442Weavers, knitters and other fabric making occupations
9445Fabric, fur and leather cutters
9461Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
9462Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
9463Fish and seafood plant workers
9465Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
9472Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations
9473Binding and finishing machine operators
9521Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
9522Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers
9523Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers
9524Assemblers and inspectors, electrical appliance, apparatus and equipment manufacturing
9525Assemblers, fabricators and inspectors, industrial electrical motors and transformers
9526Mechanical assemblers and inspectors
9527Machine operators and inspectors, electrical apparatus manufacturing
9531Boat assemblers and inspectors
9532Furniture and fixture assemblers and inspectors
9533Other wood products assemblers and inspectors
9534Furniture finishers and refinishers
9535Plastic products assemblers, finishers and inspectors
9536Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators
9537Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors
9618Labourers 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
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