NOC stands for the National Occupational Association which is Canada’s national system that describes all types of occupations.
The NOC is used for the Express Entry – Federal Skilled Trades Program. Under the NOC, occupations are assigned a four-digit code with a full description of each occupation in the Canadian labour market.
At the time of the writing of this article, the 2016 NOC matrix is being utilized. In 2021, an updated system was introduced but it will not be available until the latter part of 2022.
For IRCC to assess applicants’ work experience, they use the NOC system.
It is advisable to ask for assistance if you are unsure of your specific NOC code.
When you look at your respective NOC code you will note the job title, lead statement for the occupation and list of the major duties and responsibilities.
Occupations under the NOC are arranged by Skill Type and Skill Level.
10 NOC Skill Types
0 – 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 operations and related occupations
8 – Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations
9 – Occupations in manufacturing and utilities
NOC Skill Levels
A – These are professional jobs that typically require university degrees.
B – These are technical and skilled trades jobs that require a college diploma or training as an apprentice.
C – These are intermediate jobs that require high school and/or job-specific training.
D – These are labour jobs that usually give on-the-job training
For Example:
If an applicant has work experience as a law clerk, the appropriate NOC code would be 4211 – Paralegal and related occupations. You may be saying but this says Paralegal and related occupations. When you expand the list of the related occupations you will see law clerk with the associated specialty. Next, it lists the occupations that may be in the same field but are excluded from NOC 4211. After the main duties of this NOC are listed, this is the most important aspect of the NOC for an applicant as this must match your job description to a T.
The breakdown of NOC 4211 would mean that a paralegal and related profession would have a skill level C meaning those occupations typically have occupation-specific training.
I believe this occupation belongs under Skill Type C as I am a licensed paralegal and I was required to have a college education to obtain that credential and then I had to undergo a licensing exam. Who knows, maybe they will change that as I had more than occupation-specific training.