National Occupational Classification (NOC)

The NOC 2021 matrix (make sure to choose the correct version of the NOC) includes over 40,000 job titles assembled into 516 unit groups. The unit groups are organized into 10 broad occupational categories and 6 Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) categories.

The broad occupational categories (first digit of the NOC code) are as follows:

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 TEER (training, education, experience, and responsibilities) categories (second digit of the NOC code) are as follows:

TEER 0 - Management occupations
TEER 1 - Usually requires a university degree
TEER 2 - Usually requires a college diploma or apprenticeship training of two or more years; or supervisory occupations
TEER 3 - Usually requires a college diploma or apprenticeship training of less than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training
TEER 4 - Usually requires a secondary school diploma; or several weeks of on-the-job training    
TEER 5 - Usually requires short-term work demonstration and no formal education

Here are some examples of jobs according to the TEER categories:

NOC 2021 codes

The NOC 2021 codes are based on a five-level hierarchical structure. The first level consists of 10 broad occupational categories, the second level consists of 45 major groups, the third level consists of 89 sub-major groups, the fourth level consists of 162 minor groups, and the final level contains 516 unit groups.

Within a unit group, there may be one or more occupations, all of which fall into the same broad occupational category and the same TEER category. The NOC evaluates the type of work and tasks performed rather than the job title or salary. Each unit group has the following components:

• Lead statement or description
• Example titles
• Main duties
• Employment requirements 
• Additional information
• Exclusions, i.e. job titles or occupations that are similar but excluded from the unit group

Searching the NOC

To find out the unit group for a job, visit the National Occupational Classification website.  Make sure you choose the right version of the NOC for your needs. You can search by job title; enter your job title. If no results appear, try other searches using similar job titles.

Next, select the unit group that seems to be most appropriate. Read through the entire job description and the profile to make sure that the description actually matches your job. The two most important things to consider when reading the job description are the lead statement (the description just below the title) and the main duties.

The example titles and employment requirements sections are also useful for helping you determine which unit group is appropriate for your job. However, these are not as important as the lead statement and main duties because a job assessment is mostly based on the tasks carried out.

If you read the unit group and determine that it does not correspond to your job, you can do the following:

• Go back to the list of unit groups generated by the search engine.
• Check the exclusions section at the bottom of the page for examples of similar occupations. 

You can also perform an advanced search by keyword or within the NOC structure by selecting “Advanced Search” below and to the right of the search bar. 

If in doubt, we recommend that you talk to your employer about this. Your employer would know the exact definition of the tasks that you carry out and may be able to help you with this exercise. You can also use the Québec government’s Exploring Trades and Occupations site to help you in your search, or contact the NOC team directly.

Once you have determined which NOC unit group matches your duties, you can find out your job’s TEER category by consulting the “Breakdown summary” table to the right of the page. You will need to know this category for certain immigration processes.

The NOC matrix 2016 (make sure to choose the correct version of the NOC) contains approximately 30,000 job titles gathered into 500 unit groups. Unit groups are organized according to skill levels and broad occupational categories.

Here are the NOC skill levels:

0 – Management occupations (Skill level A)
A – Usually requires university education
B – Usually requires college education, specialized training, or apprenticeship training
C – Usually requires secondary school or occupation-specific training
D – Usually requires on-the-job training

Here are the broad occupational categories:

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

Here are some examples of jobs under each skill level:

«Unit groups» represent one or more occupation grouped together in the NOC under a single code because they share a great deal of similarity. They are classified according to skill levels and occupational categories. In the NOC, it is the type of work and the tasks carried out that are assessed rather than the job title or salary. Each «unit group» has a four-digit code that you may be required to provide on your immigration applications. Also, each «unit group» provides a short description of the occupations (or occupation) that fall under it, lists the main tasks and employment requirements, and provides example titles.

Searching the NOC

To find out the «unit group» for a job, visit the National Occupational Classification website. Make sure you choose the right version of the NOC for your needs. You can search by job title; enter your job title. If no results appear, try other searches using similar job titles.

Next, select the «unit group» that seems to be most appropriate. Read through the entire job description to make sure that the description actually matches your job. The two most important things to consider when reading the job description are the lead statement (the description just below the title) and the main duties.

For your job to be considered part of an NOC unit group, you must carry out the tasks listed in the «lead statement» and a significant number of the «main duties» of the occupation. 

The «example titles» and «employment requirements» sections are also useful for helping you determine which «unit group» is appropriate for your job. However, these are not as important as the «lead statement» and «main duties» because a job assessment is mostly based on the tasks carried out.

If you read the «unit group» and determine that it does not correspond to your job, you can do the following:

• Go back to the list of unit groups generated by the search engine.
• Check the exclusions section at the bottom of the page for examples of similar occupations. 

You can also perform an advanced search by keyword or within the NOC structure by selecting “Advanced Search” below and to the right of the search bar. 

If in doubt, we recommend that you talk to your employer about this. Your employer would know the exact definition of the tasks that you carry out and may be able to help you with this exercise. You can also use the Québec government’s Exploring Trades and Occupations site to help you in your search, or contact the NOC team directly.

Once you have determined which NOC «unit group» matches your tasks, you can consult the table on the right side of the page in the skill level section to see if the job is «skill level» A or B or if the broad occupational category in 0 – Management occupations.