What is the NOC?
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is Canada’s official system for describing occupations. The NOC groups all jobs in the Canadian economy into 520 occupational category descriptions based on skill levels and skill types.
The NOC helps standardize job titles, duties, and requirements so the labor market functions effectively. Immigration candidates have their work experience or job offer assessed per NOC classifications to determine eligibility for economic programs.
NOC Structure
The NOC organizes all occupations using a multi-level system:
NOC Major Groups – 10 broad occupational categories like business, finance and administration; trades, transport and equipment operators.
NOC Skill Levels – Assigns letter grades from A-D based on amount of formal training, education or on-the-job experience needed:
- Skill Level A (professional jobs requiring university education)
- Skill Level B (technical jobs and skilled trades needing college education or apprenticeship training)
- Skill Level C (intermediate jobs requiring secondary school and/or occupational specific training)
- Skill Level D (manual jobs needing on-the-job training)
NOC Skill Types – Occupations also get coded by type of work performed:
- Skill Type 0 – Management jobs
- Skill Type 1 – Professional work applying specialized knowledge
- Skill Type 2 – Technical occupations related to science and engineering
- Skill Type 3 – Skilled trades occupations
- Skill Type 4 – Occupations focused on clerical work, sales and service
What is the TEER?
The Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities system (TEER) helps assess eligibility for some Canadian immigration programs like Express Entry.
TEER aligns NOC codes with acceptable benchmarks for:
- Training certification
- Minimum education
- Relevant work experience credentials
- Core duties
TEER helps confirm that claimed work experience or a job offer meet standard requirements for the associated NOC skill level.
There are 4 TEER eligibility assessment levels:
- TEER 0 – For NOC Skill Type 0 (senior management)
- TEER 1 – For NOC Skill Type A (professional occupations)
- TEER 2 – For NOC Skill Type B (technical and skilled trades)
- TEER 3 – For NOC C and D (intermediate and manual jobs)
- TEER 4 – Specific intermediate jobs requiring high school and/or short work placements
By classifying occupations using NOC codes and TEER standards, it facilitates efficient eligibility assessments in Canada’s economic immigration system.
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