The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs and evaluations and GBA+ of tax expenditures.

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appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a three year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person-year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of the number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])

An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2019 Speech from the Throne, namely, fighting climate change, strengthening the middle class, walking the road of reconciliation, keeping Canadians safe and healthy, and positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare with what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence‑based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. Determining planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.

respendable revenues (revenus disponibles)

A type of revenue that, once received, increases the departmental spending authority. A department requires specific authority from Parliament to respend revenues. Respending authority is derived from the Financial Administration Act (FAA), subsection 29.1(1); the FAA and an Appropriation Act, subsection 29.1(2); legislation specific to a department (e.g., enabling and/or program); or other specific legislation.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization's influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

synthetic data (données synthétiques)

Stochastically generated data with analytical value geared towards data protection and disclosure control

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

web panel (panel en ligne)

Access panel of people willing to respond to web questionnaires.

Never has the role of data—and data-driven insights—been more important in supporting Canadians in their time of need than during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the first wave hit in March 2020, data immediately went from being a nice-to-have asset to a critical decision-support tool. Virtually overnight, Statistics Canada employees pivoted to the new reality by rapidly adapting operations to better serve Canadians. This report outlines how Statistics Canada has responded to the nation's urgent demands for data over the course of a rapidly evolving public health emergency.

In particular, the agency has delivered results for Canadians on the following priorities for 2020–21:

• Provide frontline pandemic response: Over the past year, Statistics Canada helped the provinces and territories track and limit the spread of COVID-19. By March 31, 2021, Statistics Canada's specially trained interviewers had made the equivalent of 1.2 million 15-minute calls for contact tracing, conducting everything from daily health check-ins with Canadians to in-depth case investigations, while still juggling their ongoing survey collection duties. Statistics Canada data have also been used by public health officials to manage the nation's supply of personal protective equipment, identify COVID-19 hotspots that require enhanced public health response and plan the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
• Prepare for the 2021 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture: In the months leading up to the May 2021 launch of Statistics Canada's flagship statistical program, the Census of Population and Census of Agriculture, the agency prepared to implement a virtually contact-free operation. Against the backdrop of a pandemic, Statistics Canada employees adapted to public health measures such as physical distancing during the collection of census data so that respondents and enumerators alike could participate safely, securely and remotely. The data collected for this census will capture the sheer scale of the social and economic impacts that Canadians continue to face as a result of COVID-19.
• Collaborate and engage with Canadians: To meet the urgent data needs of Canadians during a pandemic, Statistics Canada developed an ever-increasing number of partnerships so that data could be collected, analyzed and integrated in agile and innovative ways, beyond the traditional survey-first approach. Over the past year alone, the agency has collaborated with all orders of government, civil society groups and the private sector to provide data-driven insights that have helped shape the pandemic response and continued to determine the trajectory of the nation's recovery.
• Enhance coverage of emerging issues: In the early days of the pandemic, Statistics Canada partnered with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada's largest business group, to examine the impact of the nationwide economic shutdown on firms across the country. The results of this survey were vital in providing the Government of Canada with the information it needed to design and implement emergency income-support programs that met the urgent needs of the moment. Statistics Canada staff also disaggregated large datasets to better identify the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable populations. Those data revealed a stark and inconvenient truth: COVID-19 has not affected all Canadians equally. The social disparities Statistics Canada uncovered will guide and shape public policy decisions for years to come.
• Seek out alternative data sources: Canadians often wonder why they are asked to provide the same data multiple times to Statistics Canada. Over the past year, against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving pandemic, agency employees have found innovative ways to reduce the number of survey questions that Canadians are asked to respond to, while respecting public health measures such as physical distancing. Employees have found new ways to work safely, securely and remotely to integrate more administrative data—information already held by other organizations—into the agency's data holdings. And through data collection methods, such as crowdsourcing surveys launched in April 2020, after the first wave hit, Canadians told Statistics Canada about how COVID-19 was having a negative impact on their mental health. Meanwhile, throughout the pandemic, agency staff have tracked price fluctuations for the monthly measure of inflation, without stepping into a single store. They have measured employment trends without interviewing anyone on their doorstep. And Statistics Canada now releases monthly flash estimates of high-frequency economic indicators such as gross domestic product.

The agency is continuously sharing information about what it does and how it goes about providing high-quality statistics. Statistics Canada's commitment to privacy and transparency continues to be strengthened through the Proportionality and Necessity Framework and the Trust Centre. I invite Canadians to see how Statistics Canada uses their data responsibly to provide the fact base they need to make informed decisions.

The need for timely and accurate data has never been greater in revealing whether Canada is on the right track as the nation, and its economy and society, gradually recovers from the pandemic.

I invite you to learn more through this report and the article "COVID-19 in Canada: A One-year Update on Social and Economic Impacts" to learn how Statistics Canada delivered better data to drive better outcomes for the people of Canada during COVID-19.

Anil Arora
Chief Statistician of Canada

It is our pleasure to present the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report for Statistics Canada.

In a year that was characterized by uncertainty and rapidly shifting priorities as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and its Portfolio partners remained committed in their continued efforts to meet the evolving needs of Canadians and the Canadian economy. The ISED and Portfolio Departmental Results Reports describe a number of immediate and remarkable contributions over the past year, including those that were part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.

To meet the urgent data needs of Canadians, Statistics Canada worked to establish key partnerships to develop innovative approaches to data collection, analysis and integration beyond its traditional survey-first approach. Over the course of 2020–21, the agency collaborated with all levels of government, civil society groups and the private sector to provide data-driven insights that have informed the pandemic response and continue to shape the country's recovery.

In 2020–21, Statistics Canada played an important role in informing the government's pandemic response by disaggregating large datasets, revealing that COVID-19 has not affected all Canadians in the same ways. These insights will continue to inform policy decisions for years to come.

Statistics Canada quickly adapted to ensure that the 2021 Census of Population could be conducted during a pandemic safely, securely and remotely. The data collected will be crucial to policy and decision makers, as Canadians continue to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through all these initiatives and more, we continued to deliver on our commitment to foster a dynamic and growing economy that creates jobs, opportunities and a better quality of life for all Canadians, including those from diverse backgrounds, such as women, Indigenous peoples, racialized Canadians, persons with disabilities and LGBTQ+ groups.

We invite you to read this report to learn more about how Statistics Canada, like ISED and other Portfolio partners, is building a strong culture of innovation to position Canada as a leader in the global economy.

Preface

The publication of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 is the thirtieth anniversary of the standard occupational classification system and it introduces a major structural change. The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 overhauls the "Skill Level" structure by introducing a new categorization representing the degree of Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) required for an occupation. The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 also introduces a new 5-digit hierarchical structure, compared to a 4-digit hierarchical structure in the previous versions of the classification. This revision is extensive; the last structural revision was NOC 2011.

Acknowledgements

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 is published, in partnership by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada (StatCan). The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 has been made possible through the significant contributions of a number of individuals and groups, including a team of occupational research analysts and assistants from both ESDC and StatCan. Their commitment to excellence is evident in this new version of the NOC's foundational system used for structuring and describing occupations in the Canadian labour market and for managing the collection, analysis and reporting of occupational statistics. The partnership and collaboration between ESDC and StatCan has ensured that quantitative and qualitative information on occupations continues to be reliable, timely and relevant for a wide range of audiences.

Introduction

• Purpose of the classification
• Background
• Revising the NOC
• The underlying concepts
  • The statistical unit
  • The scope of the classification
  • The classification criteria
• The Classification structure and coding system
  • The Standard NOC 2021 Version 1.0 classification structure
  • The coding system of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0
• The NOC conventions
  • The "Other" title
  • Language
  • Modifying terms for example titles
  • Proprietors
  • Supervisors
  • Inspectors, testers, and graders
  • Apprentices and trainees
  • Format of unit group descriptions
    • Lead statement
    • Illustrative examples / Example titles
    • Inclusions
    • Exclusions
    • Main duties
    • Employment requirements
    • Additional information
  • Coding guidelines to NOC 2021 Version 1.0
• Related classifications
  • North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
  • Class of worker
  • Relationship between NOC and ISCO-08
• Summary of changes from NOC 2016 Version1.3 to NOC 2021 Version 1.0
  • Higher level structural changes
  • Changes at the unit group level
  • Creation and deletion of new classification items
  • Combination of classification items
  • Decomposition of classification items
  • Transfer of classification items or their parts
  • Virtual changes
  • Net Changes in the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 relative to the NOC 2016 Version 1.3
• More information on the NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Purpose of the classification

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) Canada is a classification of occupations designed primarily for use in statistical programs. It is also used for employment-related program administration and to compile, analyze and communicate information about occupations, such as labour market information. Occupational information is of critical importance for the provision of labour market and career intelligence, occupational forecasting, labour supply and demand analysis, employment equity, job training and skills development, and numerous other programs and services. It provides a standardized framework for organizing the world of work, for pay or profit, in a manageable, understandable and coherent system.

Statistical classifications are comprehensive structured lists of mutually exclusive categories or classification items^{Footnote 1}. In practice, this means that there is always a category in the classification for an object that falls within the scope of the classification, and that the object can be classified in only one category. The section titled "The underlying concepts" further discusses the object and scope of NOC.

The structure of the NOC is hierarchical. This type of classification system enables the collection, analysis and publication of data at different levels of detail, in a standardized way. The section titled "The classification structure and coding system" discusses the structure of the NOC in greater detail.

The purpose of standard classifications is to support the integration of data obtained from multiple sources by organizing the documentation, collection, processing, presentation and analysis of data in a systematic manner. Classifications are essential elements of a coherent and efficient statistical system.

The NOC has been developed to support the integration of occupational statistics. The next section provides a background on the NOC, the potential impact of the redesign and a sense of the different applications of the classification.

Background

The NOC was jointly developed by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada (StatCan), and has been maintained in partnership since the first edition published in 1991/1992. Prior to 2011, ESDC NOC and StatCan NOC-S differed in their major group structures and, consequently, in their coding systems. However, the revised NOC 2011 eliminated the differences between the two former systems.

As the Canadian economy and society changes, it is common practice for classifications to be updated and revised as new industries, products, occupations and educational programs are introduced. NOC structural revisions are planned every 10 years and content was updated every 5 years to respond to labour market changes. Starting in 2017, the NOC 2016 has undergone content updates approximately every year to ensure users have the most up-to-date information. This publication of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 represents a major structural revision of the NOC based on its 10-year revision cycle.

Revising the NOC

The NOC 2016 structure and format are based on a four-tiered hierarchical arrangement of occupational groups with successive levels of disaggregation. It contains broad occupational categories, major, minor and unit groups. It is categorized based on two major attributes of jobs, the "Broad Occupational Category" and the "Skill Level", as classification criteria. The former was defined as the type of work performed, with respect to the educational discipline or field of study for entry into an occupation and the industry of employment (e.g. health occupations or sales and service occupations). The "Skill Level" categorization is primarily defined by the amount and type of education and training usually required to enter and perform the duties of an occupation, but also considers experience, complexity and responsibilities. See NOC 2016 Structure below.

NOC 2016 Structure^{Footnote 2}

Meaning embedded in the coding system - first digit

Broad Occupational Category or the skill type criteria is…	when the first digit is…
Management occupations	0
Business, finance and administration occupations	1
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations	2
Health occupations	3
Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services	4
Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport	5
Sales and service occupations	6
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations	7
Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations	8
Occupations in manufacturing and utilities	9

Meaning embedded in the coding system - second digit

Skill Level category or the skill level criteria is…	when the second digit is…
Skill Level A	0 or 1
Skill Level B	2 or 3
Skill Level C	4 or 5
Skill Level D	6 or 7

The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 was developed through ongoing discussions between ESDC and StatCan as well as consultations with stakeholders. During consultations leading toward the NOC 2021 revision, it was suggested to add a new "Level" to the NOC 2016 Skill level categorization, to clarify the distinction in formal training or education required among unit groups, especially in the current "Skill Level B", which has a wide range of formal training or educational requirements. Over time due to the changing world of work, the NOC 2016 "Skill Level B" became a disproportionately large group and thereby limited the ability to analyze distinctions amongst a large percentage of occupations.

Another observation during the revision process was the use of the "Skill Level" categorization in the NOC as possibly being misleading because training and education, which are the main building blocks of the NOC's "Skill Level" categorization, are not considered as "skills" in the labour market. With regards to skills, many countries and organizations are currently developing their own skills taxonomy (which include concepts such as numeracy and literacy). Therefore, it was deemed appropriate for the NOC to move away from the "Skill Level" categorization.

The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 represents a major structural revision whereby the existing occupational groups are reviewed alongside input collected from many relevant stakeholders through consultation. The main accomplishment of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 was the overhaul of the "skill level" categorization by introducing a new categorization representing the degree of Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) required for an occupation.

The redesign of the NOC for 2021 moves away from the previous version of NOC with four "Skill Level" categories to an innovative six-grouping "TEER" categorization. This change is necessary for several reasons. First, the focus of the NOC is occupations and not skills and the "Skill Level" terminology is often misleading for many stakeholders. This change will reduce confusion. Second, some NOC users artificially create or infer a low- versus high-skill categorization. This redesign moves away from high/low skill categorization as the TEER more accurately captures differences in occupational requirements, which in turn will aid in the analysis of occupations.

The section titled "The classification structure and coding system" discusses the structure of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 in greater detail.

These changes significantly improve how the NOC classification takes into account the distinctions in formal training and educational requirements and better reflects skill and knowledge development occurring through on-the-job experience. At the same time, it increases the homogeneity of the distribution of unit groups within the classification, and addresses concerns about the "Skill Level" categorization and the distribution of unit groups among them.

The transition from the "Skill Level" to the "TEER" categorization makes the distribution of occupations across the "TEER categories" more balanced. The change in the distribution of unit groups is summarized in the tables below.

Distribution of NOC Unit Groups by Skill Level / TEER

Distribution of NOC Unit Groups by Skill Level / TEER

NOC 2016 V1.3 Distribution of Unit Groups by Skill Level		NOC 2021 V1.0 Distribution of Unit Groups by TEER
		TEER Category 0	9%
Skill Level A	28%	TEER Category 1	19%
Skill Level B	42%	TEER Category 2	31%
Skill Level C	24%	TEER Category 3	13%
Skill Level D	6%	TEER Category 4	18%
		TEER Category 5	9%

The NOC is the nationally accepted taxonomy and organizational framework of occupations in the Canadian labour market. It is important to note that the redesign of the NOC can have significant implications for several Surveys, such as the Labour Force Survey (LFS), and ESDC programs such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Employment Insurance program. This change may have significant impact on various programs throughout other federal departments, as well as provincial, territorial and municipal governments and many users of the NOC.

The NOC 2021 Version 1.0, as of August 10th, 2021, is now the departmental standard for data collection and dissemination for occupations at Statistics Canada. Implementation dates for each new classification version such as NOC 2021 Version 1.0 will vary based on when statistical surveys or programs, entities, organizations or individuals decide to use it.

The underlying concepts

Statistical classifications are built around three basic concepts: the object classified or statistical unit, the scope or universe of the classification, and the criteria used to group statistical units in standard categories or classification items.

The statistical unit

The basic principle of the NOC is the kind of work performed. The statistical unit or object being classified using the NOC is the concept of a "job". A job encompasses all the tasks carried out by a particular person to complete their duties. A job title represents the name given to a job or a position. The term job is used in reference to employment or in self-employment.

An occupation is defined as a collection of jobs, sufficiently similar or identical in work or tasks performed to be grouped under a common label for classification purposes.

The scope of the classification

The scope of the NOC is all occupations and jobs in the Canadian labour market undertaken for pay or profit, including people who are self-employed.

The NOC is not designed to include work or tasks not undertaken for pay or profit, for example, voluntary work. However, a person may complete work not for pay or profit where the tasks completed may be described within some occupational groups.

The classification criteria

The classification criteria refers to the attribute(s) of the statistical unit used to create the most detailed categories of the classification and to group them into analytical aggregates. These attributes must be observable and verifiable in the context of a statistical operation, or it must be possible to derive the information as a set of observed characteristics.

The NOC is built through the application of two major attributes of jobs as classification criteria: broad occupational categories and TEER categories. There are ten broad occupational categories and six TEER categories.

• The ten broad occupational categories are defined by the type of work performed based on the industry of employment and field of study required for entry into an occupation. Within the broad occupational categories factors such as the materials processed or used, the industrial processes and the equipment used, as well as the products made and services provided, have also been considered when combining jobs into occupations and occupations into groups.
• The six TEER categories stand for the Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities required for occupations. A TEER category is defined by the amount and type of training and education required to enter and perform the duties of an occupation. It also takes into consideration the experience required and the complexity of responsibilities involved in the work. Each TEER category reflects commonly accepted paths to employment in an occupation.

The next section "The classification structure and coding system" provides more detail on how these two criteria together create the classification structure.

The Classification structure and coding system

The NOC contains a standard classification structure and standard variants of that structure. The standard structure is intended for broad use, whereas each variant is designed to meet a specific user need. The NOC provides a systematic classification structure that categorizes the entire range of occupational activity in Canada. Its' detailed occupations are identified and grouped primarily according to the work performed, as determined by the training, education, tasks, experiences, duties and responsibilities for an occupation.

The Standard NOC 2021 Version 1.0 classification structure

The standard classification structure uses a five-tiered hierarchical arrangement of occupational groups with successive levels of disaggregation and contains broad, major, sub-major, minor and unit groupings. The structure of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 is based on two key occupational categorizations: Occupational categories and TEER categories, which are identified in the first two digits of the 5-digit code, as shown in the table below.

Standard NOC 2021 Version 1.0 classification structure

Title of Hierarchy	Format	Digit	Represents:
Broad Category	X	First Digit – X	Occupational categorization
Major Group	XX	Second Digit xX	TEER categorization
Sub-major Group	XXX	xxX	Top level of the Sub-Major Group
Minor Group	XXXX	xxXX	Hierarchy within the Sub-Major Group
Unit Group	XXXXX	xxXXX	Hierarchy within the Minor Group

Note: As the first digit identifies the Occupation and the second digit identifies the TEER, they are also referred to as the Major Group.

The hierarchical approach of the NOC ensures collection, dissemination and analysis of data at different levels of detail, in a standardized way. Each number or digit at each hierarchical level has a distinct meaning. Each hierarchical level of the classification is described below, from the most detailed to the most aggregated level.

Nomenclature and number of categories within each level of NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Nomenclature and number of categories within each level of NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Level	Coding	Number of categories
Broad Category	1-digit and first digit of all codes	10
TEER	Second-digit of all codes	6
Major Group	2-digit representing the broad category code and the TEER code	45
Sub-major Group	3-digit	89
Minor Group	4-digit	162
Unit Group	5-digit	516

Broad categories
The Broad Category (first digit) of the classification represents the occupational categorization which is defined by the type of work performed, the field of study, or the industry of employment. There are 10 Broad categories in NOC 2021 Version 1.0.

TEER categories
The TEER Category (second digit) of the classification represents the necessary training, education, experience and responsibilities of the occupation. There are 6 TEER categories in NOC 2021 Version 1.0.

Major groups
The Major Group (first and second digits) of the classification is represented by the Broad occupational categorization (first digit) and TEER categorization (second digit) together. A major group also encompasses several sub-major groups and thus represents the two-digit code used by the NOC. There are 45 major groups in NOC 2021 Version 1.0.

Sub-major groups
The Sub-major Group (3-digit) of the classification represents the aggregation of several minor groups and thus represents the three-digit code used by the NOC. There are 89 sub-major groups in NOC 2021 Version 1.0.

Minor groups
The Minor Group (4-digit) of the classification represents the domain in which an occupation is carried out (occupational domain). It is an aggregation of several unit groups and thus represents the four-digit code used by the NOC. There are 162 minor groups in NOC 2021 Version 1.0.

Unit Groups
The Unit Group (5-digit) of the classification is the most detailed level of the classification and represents one or several occupations combined together within the NOC. There are 516 units groups in NOC 2021 Version 1.0.

Example of coding in NOC 2021 Version 1.0: Judges, lawyers and Quebec notaries

Example of coding in NOC 2021 Version 1.0: Judges, lawyers and Quebec notaries

Level	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code	NOC 2021 V1.0 Title
Broad occupational group	4	Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services
Major group	41	Professional occupations in law, education, social, community and government services
Sub-minor group	411	Professional occupations in law
Minor group	4110	Judges, lawyers and Quebec notaries
Unit Group	41100	Judges
Unit Group	41101	Lawyers and Quebec notaries

The Coding system of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0

As identified in the "Classification Criteria" the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 is built through the application of two major attributes of jobs as classification criteria: ten broad occupational categories (BOC) and six TEER categories.

NOC 2021 Version 1.0 Broad Occupational Categories

Broad Occupational Categories are defined as the type of work performed based on, notably, the field of study required for entry into an occupation and the industry of employment. The ten BOCs are classified from 0 to 9.

NOC 2021 Version 1.0 Broad Occupational Categories

NOC 2021 V1.0 Broad Category - Occupation	when the first digit is…
BOC 0 - Legislative and senior management occupations This broad category comprises legislators and senior management occupations.	0
BOC 1 - Business, finance and administration occupations This broad category comprises specialized middle management occupations in administrative services, financial and business services and communication (except broadcasting), as well as professional occupations in financial and business; administrative and financial supervisors and specialized administrative occupations; administrative occupations and transportation logistics occupations; and office and administrative support and supply chain logistics occupations.	1
BOC 2 - Natural and applied sciences and related occupations This broad category comprises occupations in natural sciences (including basic and applied sciences and experimental development), engineering, architecture and information technology. These occupations cover specialized middle management occupations in engineering, architecture, science and information systems; professional occupations in natural sciences (basic and applied sciences and experimental development); and technical occupations related to natural sciences (including basic and applied sciences and experimental development).	2
BOC 3 - Health occupations This broad category comprises specialized middle management occupations in health care, as well as occupations concerned with providing health care services directly to patients (professional and technical occupations in health) and occupations that provide support to health services.	3
BOC 4 - Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services This broad category comprises managers in public administration, in education and social and community services and in public protection services, as well as occupations concerned with teaching, law, counselling, conducting social science research, developing government policy, and administering government and other programs, and related support occupations.	4
BOC 5 - Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport This broad category comprises specialized middle management occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport, as well as professional, technical, support and other occupations concerned with art and culture (including the performing arts, film and video, broadcasting, journalism, writing, creative design, libraries and museums), recreation and sports.	5
BOC 6 - Sales and service occupations This broad category comprises middle management occupations in wholesale and retail trade, and customer services, as well as occupations concerned with wholesale and retail sales, and customer, personal and support service occupations related to a wide range of trade and service industries, such as accommodation and food services, travel, tourism and cleaning services.	6
BOC 7 - Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations This broad category comprises middle management occupations in trades, transportation and equipment, as well as occupations such as technical trades and transportation officers and controllers; general trades; mail and message distribution, other transport equipment operators and related maintenance workers; and helpers and labourers and other transport drivers, operators and labourers.	7
BOC 8 - Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations This broad category comprises middle management occupations in natural resources, agriculture and related production, as well as occupations concerned with supervision and equipment operation in the natural resource-based sectors of mining, oil and gas production, forestry and logging, agriculture, horticulture and fishing. Harvesting, landscaping and natural resources labourers are also included. Most occupations in this category are industry specific and do not occur outside of the primary resources industries.	8
BOC 9 - Occupations in manufacturing and utilities This broad category comprises middle management occupations in manufacturing and utilities, as well as occupations concerned with supervisory, production and labouring in manufacturing, processing and utilities.	9

The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 TEER Categories

The "TEER" categorization defines the requirements of the occupation by considering the type of training, education and experience required for entry, as well as the complexities and responsibilities typical of an occupation. In general, the greater the range and complexity of occupational tasks, the greater the amount of formal education and training, previous experience, on-the-job training, and in some instance's responsibility, required to competently perform the set of tasks for that occupation.

NOC 2021 Version 1.0 TEER Categories

The NOC 2021 V1.0 Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility (TEER)	when the second digit is…
Management - TEER	0
Completion of a university degree (bachelor's, master's or doctorate); or Previous experience and expertise in subject matter knowledge from a related occupation found in TEER 2 (when applicable).	1
Completion of a post-secondary education program of two to three years at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP; or Completion of an apprenticeship training program of two to five years; or Occupations with supervisory or significant safety (e.g. police officers and firefighters) responsibilities; or Several years of experience in a related occupation from TEER 3 (when applicable).	2
Completion of a post-secondary education program of less than two years at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP; or Completion of an apprenticeship training program of less than two years; or More than six months of on-the-job training, training courses or specific work experience with some secondary school education; or Several years of experience in a related occupation from TEER 4 (when applicable).	3
Completion of secondary school; or Several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary school education; or Experience in a related occupation from TEER 5 (when applicable).	4
Short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements.	5

The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 conventions

This section outlines the conventions adopted in order to assist users in consistently assigning NOC 2021 Version 1.0 codes and titles.

The "Other" title

When a unit group ends with a "9", it is used to classify occupations in an appropriate "other" occupation when a grouping does not account for all the workers in a group, even though such workers may perform distinct sets of work activities. These occupational groups are identified in their title by ''Other'' appearing at the beginning of the title. "Other" titles exist at the sub-group, minor group or unit group level, for example, Sub-major group 729 – Other technical trades; Minor group 2139 – Other engineers; and Unit group 32209 - Other practitioners of natural healing.

Language

The NOC is available separately in both official languages. It is important to note that the French version includes only titles commonly used in French and proper to the milieu and, therefore, these are not normally translations of the English titles. The classification structure is the same in both languages.

Unit group labels, example titles, inclusions and exclusions are presented in a gender-neutral format or identified by the masculine and feminine titles separated by a slash.

Modifying terms for example titles

Modifying terms have been added to several job titles, as extensions, to designate the industrial sector or the domain of expertise. If applicable, this information is preceded by a dash at the end of the title (cashier supervisor - retail) to distinguish between similar titles. These modifying terms may also specify where the titles appear in the classification structure (painter - visual arts; painter - motor vehicle repair). This information should be considered when coding job titles.

Proprietors

As a general rule, the class of worker status, that is, whether the respondent works for wages or is self-employed, is not considered for classification purposes.

An exception is made for proprietors in retail trade, food and accommodation services, and residential home building. These are classified as managers to the following unit groups:

• 60020 - Retail and wholesale trade managers
• 60030 - Restaurant and food service managers
• 60031 - Accommodation service managers
• 70011 - Home building and renovation managers

Supervisors

Supervisors are generally classified with the workers supervised and as a result would not have a separate unit group. But there are exceptions to this convention, for example, unit groups 31300 - Nursing coordinators and supervisors and 62010 – Retail sales supervisors.

Supervisors in the following occupational categories have been classified in supervisor unit groups separate from the workers supervised:

• administrative services occupations
• nursing occupations
• sales and service occupations
• trades and transport and equipment operators
• occupations in natural resources and agriculture
• occupations in manufacturing.

Even when separate supervisory unit groups exist, "lead hands" are not classified as such, as previous research has indicated that supervision is usually only a minor part of such jobs.

Inspectors, testers, and graders

Generally, inspectors with TEER 2 requirements have been classified in separate unit groups or with technicians and technologists, with matching requirements. Other non-technical inspectors, testers, graders and samplers have been included either in separate unit groups covering occupations in processing industries or in unit groups of assemblers and fabricators in manufacturing industries. This is reflective of patterns of employment found within industries and the increasing responsibility for quality control that is placed on manufacturing production workers.

Apprentices and trainees

Apprentices and trainees have been classified in the same unit groups as the occupations for which they are training. Similarly, interns, residents and articling students are classified with their respective professional groups.

This convention has been adopted to prevent a proliferation of unit groups of apprentices. It is not intended to imply equivalence or interchangeability of apprentices or trainees with fully qualified workers.

Format of unit group descriptions

Each NOC unit group description consists of several standardized sections which define and describe its content.

Lead statement

This section provides a general description of the content and boundaries of the unit group and indicates the main activities of occupations within the unit group. It also indicates the kinds of industries or establishments in which the occupations are found. The list of places of employment is not always exhaustive, but can assist in clarifying the occupations described and in differentiating them from occupations found in other groups.

Illustrative examples^{Footnote 3} / Example titles^{Footnote 4}

This section is a list of titles commonly used in the labour market. The titles are intended to illustrate the contents and range of the occupational group. This is not an exhaustive list of job titles.

Inclusions

This section provides a list of borderline job titles belonging to a particular NOC unit group. Inclusions are examples in classes where it might not be clear from reading both the class text and title that the example belongs in the class.

Exclusions

This section clarifies the boundaries of the unit group by identifying related unit groups and similar occupations that are classified elsewhere. Unit groups or individual occupations are cited in this section when they bear a functional similarity to the unit group or when similar titles occur.

Main duties

The main duties section describes the most significant duties of the occupations in the group. They are not intended to be comprehensive of all the tasks performed in the occupation. They represent key duties that are related to the occupation(s) associated with the unit group and can be listed using:

• a series of statements that can be applied to all occupations in the group;
• two or more sub-sets of occupations with statements that apply to each sub-set or component;
• a series of brief statements that are linked to specific occupations, that, while similar enough to be in the same group, can be described separately.

Statements in italics, at the end of this section, identify a specialization that may exist within the occupation.

Employment requirements

This section describes the employment requirements for the unit group. Several types of requirements are identified in this section and are listed in the following order.

• Type and level of education: for example, secondary school, college diploma, university degree and including specific subject matter if relevant, starting with the lowest possible requirement for entry into the occupation.
• Specific training: for example, apprenticeship training, on-the-job training, training courses specific to an occupation.
• Experience in another occupation: for example, supervisors usually require several years of experience in the occupation that they supervise.
• Licences, certificates or registration: for example, regulatory requirements to practice in a regulated profession, special licenses to operate certain kinds of vehicles.
• Other requirements: for example, athletic ability or artistic talent.

Some occupations have very definite employment requirements while for others, there is no consensus or a range of acceptable requirements exist. The following terminology is used to indicate the level of the requirement:

• "... is required" - to indicate a definite requirement;
• "... is usually required" - to indicate something that is usually required by the majority of employers, but not always required by all employers; and
• "... may be required" - to indicate something that may be required by some employers, but on a less frequent basis.

Employment requirements items to note:

• Some occupations are designated as regulated professions and trades. Regulations are subject to change and may vary across jurisdictions. The most reliable information on regulatory requirements for occupations is found on the websites of provincial regulatory organizations and licensing authorities.
• For reasons of brevity, the term college includes: community colleges, CÉGEPS, technical institutes, trade schools and agricultural colleges. Where relevant, in some provinces, it may also include private training organizations, music conservatories and other non-degree granting institutions.
• The Employment requirements section does not attempt to describe personal suitability requirements that are assessed by employers as part of the hiring process.

Additional information

This section appears in some unit group descriptions. It provides information on the following:

• progression to other occupations (such as supervisory or management positions) based on transferability of skills from acquired occupational experience;
• mobility patterns, such as inter- and intra-occupational transferability of skills (for example, identifying occupations that are part of internal lines of progression or specializations within a subject matter area);
• trends and forthcoming changes in the unit group's employment requirements; and other information to clarify and define the unit group.

Coding guidelines to NOC 2021 Version 1.0

The NOC is designed to classify occupational information in the Canadian labour market in a standardized framework and a manageable, understandable and coherent system. Statistics Canada's role is to provide occupational information for statistical surveys and data analysis.

When conducting a search to determine what code is best associated with a job title or occupation it is important to note:

• Even though the NOC contains more than 30,000 job titles in each of Canada's official languages the list is not meant to be exhaustive. The list of examples does provide extensive coverage of commonly used and understood titles in the economy and of more specific titles found in many occupational areas.
• Occupations are identified and grouped primarily by:
  • the type of work performed based on, notably, the field of study required for entry into an occupation and the industry of employment, and;
  • considering the type of training, education and experience required for entry, as well as the complexities and responsibilities.

Both of which are determined by the main duties, tasks and responsibilities of the occupation and are key when trying to determine the best code for a job title. Consideration of these factors has proven to be effective in helping to narrow the search for a desired NOC code.

Selecting a NOC code

1. To find a NOC code associated with a job title start by using the search function and enter an occupational title or keywords related to the occupation. Searching the NOC will generate a list of possible occupations. If the initial search does not yield a matching occupational profile, sound practice is to broaden or narrow the search by using different related keywords.
2. In order to research how closely a NOC unit group code matches a given occupation, the details of the NOC profile in question are to be reviewed, such as the main duties and employment requirements to assess which one most accurately represents the occupation in question. Other information within the NOC profile should also be assessed such as example titles, additional information, and exclusions.
3. If the NOC unit group associated with the job title or occupation in question using the title job search is not found, the NOC structure can be used to narrow down the research. Apply knowledge of which sector of activity the occupation in question is associated to, e.g. health, natural sciences, trades, or transportation. That will limit the search to NOC unit groups found under one "broad occupational category", which is represented by the first digit of the NOC code. Reduction of the scope based on the TEER requirements of the job or occupation can be beneficial. These requirements correspond to the second digit of the NOC code. Please note these may differ from personal educational levels.
4. Once the broad occupational category and the TEER associated with the job have been identified, a short list of relevant NOC sub-major groups (represented by the first three digits of the NOC code) and NOC minor groups (represented by the first four digits of the NOC code) will be available.
5. A review of the list of all the NOC unit groups found under the relevant NOC minor groups is required, prior to accessing the occupational description of each unit groups to find where the occupation has been classified.
6. To code an occupation, it is possible to use either the search tool or the classification structure.

Related Classifications

The classification of occupations does not stand alone but must be understood as being related to other classifications, such as the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and that of Class of Worker. Each of these classifications supplements the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 in presenting a rounded picture of the nature of a person's job.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)

The industrial qualifier which may accompany the job title:

1. Indicates the type of economic activity with which the job is usually associated. (It is important to note that the assignment of an industrial qualifier does not necessarily limit a job to that industry. These qualifiers are merely indicative of the possible areas of activity in which the job may be found.)
2. Permits the assignment of similar titles to different occupation groups where the duties vary between industries.
3. Aids in defining the specific occupations and helps the coder grasp the underlying principles of this classification.

The industry in which the individual is employed is determined by the kind of economic activity of the establishment. The establishment is usually a factory, mine, farm, store, other place of business or an institution for which a number of basic production variables can be compiled.

It is important to note the conceptual differences between an industry classification and an occupation classification. An establishment can employ individuals performing completely different occupations, and these are classified to appropriate occupational groups, but the industrial classification of each individual employed in the establishment should be the same and is determined by the nature of the production process of the establishment. In other words, the nature of the factory, business or service in which the person is employed does not determine the classification of the occupation, except to the extent that it enables the nature of the duties to be more clearly defined, but it does determine the classification of the establishment by industry.

Class of worker

Class of worker refers to an individual's employment relationship to the business in which they work, as employee or self-employed, including unpaid family workers, and thus provides another means of describing the work. The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 does not indicate the class of worker classification for each occupation since many occupations contain both jobs held by employees and jobs of self-employed individuals. The scope of what is an occupation has been outlined in the section "The underlying concepts".

Relationship between NOC and ISCO-08

The NOC is comparable to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) published by the International Labour Organization (ILO). While the NOC was originally developed in Canada in the 1980s, ISCO was also being reviewed and updated to produce ISCO-88. Communication between the NOC and ISCO research teams led to similarities, such as a similar conceptual framework that includes the Skill Type and Skill Level dimensions. The similarities between the NOC and ISCO increased in later structural revision (ISCO-08 and NOC 2011) cycles. However, certain conceptual differences between the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 and ISCO-08 limit comparability. For instance, differences in the classification criteria and classification structure exist between NOC 2021 Version 1.0 and ISCO-08. Additionally, subsistence occupations included in ISCO are not part of the NOC. For countries and regions in which subsistence activities are virtually non-existent, the ILO affirms that such activities may be excluded without loss of international comparability.

The concordance between NOC 2011 and ISCO 2008 can be used for purposes of showing the relationship between NOC 2016 and ISCO 2008 since the structure is the same in both NOC 2011 and NOC 2016. A correspondence table is available between NOC 2016 V1.3 and NOC 2021 V1.0; a correspondence table between NOC 2021 V1.0 and ISCO-08 will be developed and published.

Summary of changes from NOC 2016 Version 1.3 to NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Changes occurred at all levels of the NOC structure. Some items were revised while others were added, split, transferred or merged. A complete list of all changes detailed at the unit group level (the most detailed level of the NOC structure) is released as a separate correspondence file and is available at NOC 2016 V1.3 - NOC 2021 V1.0.

Higher level structural changes

The following are some examples of higher level structural changes:

In the 2016 version of the NOC, "BOC 0 – Management" included all unit groups dedicated to managerial occupations. Under the 2021 NOC, management is identified in the employment requirements, via the TEER system, rather than as a "field of study and/or industry". The BOC 0 now only contains legislators and senior management occupations. Middle management occupations previously in BOC 0 have been redistributed into the remaining 9 BOCs based on the industry of employment. For example: 0211 - Engineering managers (NOC 2016 V1.3) has been moved to BOC 2 – Natural and applied sciences and related occupations, to unit group 20010 – Engineering managers (NOC 2021 V1.0).

Another example of a higher level structural change is NOC 2016 Version 1.3 minor group 227 - Transportation officers and controllers (and associated unit groups) was moved from BOC 2 - Natural and applied sciences and related occupations to BOC 7 - Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations as NOC 2021 Version 1.0 minor group 7260 - Transportation officers and controllers (and associated unit groups). This move better aligns the minor occupation group with the industry of employment.

As it is done for all standard statistical classifications, we provide a more detailed analysis of the changes at the lowest of the classification, which is the unit group level for the NOC.

Changes at the unit group level

The unit group level (5-digit) is the most detailed level of the NOC and it is used for the analysis of the changes in a more detailed manner. Some items were revised while others were added, split, transferred or merged. The Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM) is used to identify the types of changes made to the classification: real changes and virtual changes. Real changes are those affecting the scope of the existing classification items or categories, whether or not accompanied by changes in the title, definition and/or the coding. Virtual changes are those made in coding, titles and/or definitions, while the meaning or scope of the classification item remains the same. The "real changes" are the most important ones for analysis.

Here are some examples of real changes at the unit group level:

Creation and deletion of new classification items

Creations occur when a new item emerges and is not part of any one or more existing item(s). A deletion, the mirror opposite of creation, occurs when an item expires and no part of it proceeds as part of one or more existing item(s). No new classification items (unit groups) were created to the NOC 2021 Version 1.0, and no NOC 2016 V1.3 classification items were deleted according to the deletion and creation definitions found in GSIM.

Combination of classification items

Combinations consist of mergers and take-overs among classification items. There were 9 mergers and 3 take-overs of NOC 2016 Version 1.3 unit groups. Essentially, unit groups were combined into an emerging unit group (merger) or an existing unit group (take-over) with the intent to re-arrange the classification of occupational groupings to reflect the current and emerging labour market.

Merger examples

Merger examples

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
9222	Supervisors, electronics manufacturing	Merger	92021	Supervisors, electronics and electrical products manufacturing	9222 and 9223 expired and all parts of both merged into emerging item 92021.
9223	Supervisors, electrical products manufacturing	Merger

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
9432	Pulp mill machine operators	Merger	94121	Pulp mill, papermaking and finishing machine operators	9432 and 9433 expired and all parts of both merged into emerging item 94121.
9433	Papermaking and finishing machine operators	Merger

Take-over examples

Take-over examples

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
7247	Cable television service and maintenance technicians	Take-over	72204	Telecommunications line and cable installers and repairers	7247 expired and part proceeds between 72204 and 72205.
		Take-over	72205	Telecommunications equipment installation and cable television service technicians

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
9531	Boat assemblers and inspectors	Take-over	94219	Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors	9531 expired and all proceeds taken over as part of 94219.

Decomposition of classification items

21 classification items are a result of either a breakdown or a split-off: 10 breakdown and 11 split-offs. Unit groups either expired and were distributed over emerging items (breakdown) or partially continued with part assigned (split-off) to emerging unit group with the intent to better align occupational grouping based on the TEER classification criteria and reflect the current and emerging labour market. Below are examples of decomposition changes related to the addition of more detailed classification items.

Breakdown examples

Breakdown examples

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
2263	Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety	Breakdown	21120	Public and environmental health and safety professionals	2263 expired and the denotations distributed among emerging items 21120 and 22232
		Breakdown	22232	Occupational health and safety specialists

Split-off examples

Split-off examples

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
0431	Commissioned police officers	Split-off	40040	Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services	0431 continues as 40040 and part split-off to emerging item 41310.
		Split-off	41310	Police investigators and other investigative occupations

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
1511	Mail, postal and related workers	Split-off	64401	Postal services representatives	1511 continues as 74100 and part split off to emerging item 64401
		Split-off	74100	Mail and parcel sorters and related occupations

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
2171	Information systems analysts and consultants	Split-off	21211	Data scientists	2171 continues as 21222 and part split-off to emerging items 21211, 21220, 21221 and 21233.
		Split-off	21220	Cybersecurity specialists
		Split-off	21221	Business systems specialists
		Split-off	21222	Information systems specialists
		Split-off	21233	Web designers

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
2172	Database analysts and data administrators	Split-off	21211	Data scientists	2172 continues as 21223 and part split-off to emerging item 21211.
		Split-off	21223	Database analysts and data administrators

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
2173	Software engineers and designers	Split-off	21211	Data scientists	2173 continues as 21231 and part split off to emerging item 21211.
		Split-off	21231	Software engineers and designers

There were 9 decomposition instances where part of a unit group continued and part split-off to an emerging unit group and part transferred to an existing unit group. Below is an example of this.

Split off/Transfer Example

Split off/Transfer Example

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
3124	Allied primary health practitioners	Split-off	31302	Nurse practitioners	3124 continues as 31303 and part transferred to 32103 and part split off to emerging item 31302.
		Split-off / Transfer	31303	Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
		Transfer	32103	Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists

Transfer of classification items or their parts

There were 36 instances where part of a unit group continued and part of it was transferred to one or more existing unit groups with the intent to better align with the TEER classification criteria and in some cases better realign occupational groupings.

Transfer examples

Transfer examples

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
1253	Records management technicians	Transfer	12111	Health information management occupations	1253 continues as 12112 and part transferred to 12111.
		Transfer	12112	Records management technicians

NOC 2016 V1.3 Code(s)		REAL CHANGE GSIM NAME	NOC 2021 V1.0 Code(s)		Description of Change
1525	Dispatchers	Transfer	13201	Production and transportation logistics coordinators	1525 continues as 14404 and part transferred to 13201.
		Transfer	14404	Dispatchers

Virtual Changes

Essentially, all items of the classification were affected by virtual changes. For example, all unit groups with 1 to 1 links were still affected by code changes as a result of the TEER system. At the most detailed level of the classification (unit groups) more than 470 unit groups were modified where changes were made to titles and definitions. For example, some titles were modified to better describe the occupational groupings based on content revisions. These types of changes are important for clarification and making necessary updates or corrections.

Finally, all changes made (real or virtual) can potentially have an impact on the content of the classification file, which at the most detailed level contains leading statements, illustrative and example job titles, exclusions, inclusions, main duties, employment requirements and additional information. More than 3500 content items have been either added, deleted or edited and more than 1000 job titles have been added, deleted or edited in this NOC 2021 Version 1.0. These two components of the classification support coding of occupations and fosters fluidity when reading or using the classification.

Net Changes in the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 relative to the NOC 2016 Version 1.3

Net Changes in the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 relative to the NOC 2016 Version 1.3

Level	NOC 2021 V1.0	NOC 2016 V1.3	Net Changes
Broad Category	10	10	0
Major Group	45	40	+5
Sub-major Group	89Table Note 1	N\A	+89
Minor Group	162	140	+22
Unit Group	516Table Note 2	500	+16
Table Notes Footnote 1 New to the NOC structure in 2021. Return to table note 1 referrer Footnote 2 22 unit groups were eliminated and 38 new unit groups were added, resulting in a net difference of 16. Return to table note 2 referrer

More information on the NOC 2021 Version 1.0

For questions related to the National Occupational Classification, please send an email to: statcan.csds-standards-occupations-cnsd-normes-professions.statcan@statcan.gc.ca.

For information on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) and its use for programs and services such as, immigrating to Canada, labour market information, job searches and working in Canada, please contact Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

Release date: October 25, 2023

Status

This standard was approved as a departmental standard on August 10th, 2021.

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

The publication of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 is the thirtieth anniversary of the standard occupational classification system and it introduces a major structural change. The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 overhauls the "Skill Level" structure by introducing a new categorization representing the degree of Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) required for an occupation. The NOC 2021 Version 1.0 also introduces a new 5-digit hierarchical structure, compared to a 4-digit hierarchical structure in the previous versions of the classification. The NOC has been developed and maintained as part of a collaborative partnership between Employment and Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada. This revision is extensive; the last structural revision was NOC 2011.

HTML format

• Introduction Updated: September 14, 2023
• NOC 2021 Version 1.0 - Classification structure

CSV format

• NOC 2021 Version 1.0 - Classification structure (CSV, 384.72 KB)
• NOC 2021 Version 1.0 - Elements (CSV, 4.89 MB)

PDF format

• NOC 2021 Version 1.0 (PDF, 6.37 MB) (catalogue no. 12-583-X)

Correspondence tables

• NOC 2016 V1.3 - NOC 2021 V1.0 Updated: September 14, 2023

Variants of the NOC Version 1.0

• Variant of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0 for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
  ( Variant of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) (CSV, 625.46 KB) )
• Variant of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0 for Analysis by TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility) categories
  ( Variant of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 - Analysis by TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility) categories (CSV, 949.53 KB) )
• Variant of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0 with Aggregates for Analysis of Labour force
  ( Variant of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 - Aggregates for Analysis of Labour force (CSV, 969.45 KB) )

Date: August, 2021

Program manager: Director, Centre for Population Health Division
Director General, Health, Justice, Diversity and Populations

Reference to Personal Information Bank (PIB)

Personal information collected through the Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic is described in Statistics Canada's "Health Surveys" Personal Information Bank. The Personal Information Bank refers to personal information that is related to participants of health surveys conducted by Statistics Canada. The personal information may include the following: name, contact, biographical, biometric, citizenship status, education, employment, financial, language, health and medical information (from blood, urine and hair samples), pregnancy, breastfeeding, sleep habits, sexual behaviour, nutrition, alcohol and e-cigarette/cigarette use, medication/drug use, physical attributes, physical activity, neighbourhood environment, place of birth, and provincial health card number.

The "Health Surveys" Personal Information Bank (Bank number: StatCan PPU 806) is published on the Statistics Canada website under the latest Information about programs and Information Holdings chapter.

Description of statistical activity

Statistics Canada is conducting the Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic, under the authority of the Statistics Act ^{Footnote 1} , on behalf of the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.

The purpose of this survey is to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers in Canada. This voluntary survey will cover topics such as job type and setting, personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and protocols, COVID-19 vaccination and diagnosis, and the impacts of the pandemic on personal health and work life. It also includes general demographic questions.

A master microdata file will be produced and made available in Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres (RDC)^{Footnote 2} . A subset of the master file which contains only information of respondents who have consented to share their information, called the share file, will be made available to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Health Canada (HC), the Institut de la Statistique du Québec (ISQ) and provincial and territorial ministries of health. A Public Use Microdata File (PUMF)^{Footnote 3} will also be produced for use by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and will be available to members of the public. Health Canada, PHAC and CIHI plan to use the survey results to help inform health care workforce planning, the delivery of health care services and to better understand what health care workers need in terms of equipment, training and support.

The survey targets health care workers and those working in a health care setting in Canada since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic who are living in the 10 provinces. Because of the small number of health care workers in the territories, the limitation of collection to the capital cities and the low response rates currently being experienced in the territories it was deemed that collection in the territories would not produce enough respondents to be able to release reliable estimates at the individual territorial level.

Questions on health include self-perceived health, mental health, and daily stress both currently and compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, resilience, feelings of anxiety, depression, or suicide, chronic conditions, and changes in lifestyle and behaviours, such as consumption of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, pain relievers for non-therapeutic purposes, or illegal drugs.

Questions on COVID-19 include the impact of COVID-19 on the respondent's job and personal life, COVID-19 diagnosis, possible hospitalization, where it was contracted, and reason(s) for getting tested. Also included are questions on COVID-19 vaccination, reasons for not having been vaccinated (if applicable), and precautions taken at home related to COVID-19.

In addition, respondents will be asked to confirm their name, and provide other demographic information such as date of birth, age, gender, postal code, province/territory of residence, province/territory of work, Indigenous identity, population group, immigration and citizenship and income. The purpose of including these questions is to determine if there are differences in the impacts of the pandemic on health care workers from various groups. For example, those living in different provinces, younger or older health care workers, or differences among genders.

A sample of 32,500 individuals were selected from Census 2016 long form respondents. These were individuals who had identified as a health care worker at the time of Census 2016 or who were registered in a health care education program between 2015 and 2018, according to the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS). This is a targeted respondent survey. Responses will be aggregated to ensure that no individuals can be directly or indirectly identified.

Reason for supplement:

While the Generic Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) addresses most of the privacy and security risks related to statistical activities conducted by Statistics Canada, this supplement describes additional measures being implemented due to the sensitivity of the information being collected. As is the case with all PIAs, Statistics Canada's privacy framework ensures that elements of privacy protection and privacy controls are documented and applied. The Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic will collect information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers' personal and professional lives, including their mental well-being (including feelings of anxiety, depression, or suicide) as well as sensitive personal information such as name, date of birth, and gender identity. This supplement describes how Statistics Canada designed and developed this survey while taking into account the possible impact on vulnerable populations.

Necessity and proportionality

The collection and use of personal information for the Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic can be justified against Statistics Canada's Necessity and Proportionality Framework:

1. Necessity:

   The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers is not fully understood. There are few existing sources of information on this topic, in particular on the impact on health care workers' personal life, so a survey is needed to fill this data gap. The results of this survey may be used by the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and other government organizations to help to inform health care workforce planning, the delivery of health care services and to better understand what health care workers need in terms of equipment, training and support.

   Only health care workers living in the provinces are eligible to participate. This is a targeted respondent survey and respondents will confirm that they are health care workers at the start of the survey. The demographic data and occupational group information collected will be used for analysis of subgroups of the population. The health care workers have been stratified into four groups from a list of 24 occupations: physicians, nurses, personal support workers (PSWs) and other health care workers. A goal of the survey is to be able to understand how the impacts of the pandemic are affecting different types of health care workers.

   The survey data file, without direct identifiers other than postal code and date of birth, will be made available to researchers in the Research Data Centres (RDC) upon approval of requests to access the data for statistical research. Statistics Canada's directives and policies on data publication will be followed to ensure the confidentiality of any data released from the RDC. Only aggregate results, which are fully anonymized and non-confidential, without direct identifiers, which precludes the possibility of re-identifying individuals, can be released from the RDC. Statistics Canada will retain this data as long as required for statistical purposes, in order to conduct analysis of long‐term impacts.

   Although there are currently no plans for record linkage, direct personal identifiers such as name will be retained on a separate file in a secure location for potential linkage opportunities in the future.

   Statistics Canada's microdata linkage and related statistical activities were assessed in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment.^{Footnote 4} All data linkage activities are subject to established governance^{Footnote 5} , and are assessed against the privacy principles of necessity and proportionality.^{Footnote 6} All approved linkages are published on Statistics Canada's website.^{Footnote 7}

2. Effectiveness - Working assumptions:

   A questionnaire was developed by following Statistics Canada's processes and methodology to produce results that are representative of the population. The survey will be administered using a self-reported electronic questionnaire with interviewer telephone follow-up for non-response. A random sample of health care workers or individuals expected to be working as health care workers from Statistics Canada's 2016 Census 2016 will receive an invitation letter and secure access code to complete the survey on Statistics Canada's secure website. After 3 and a half weeks, interviewers will follow up with individuals that have not yet responded, to re-issue the invitation and provide respondents with the opportunity to complete the survey over the telephone with a trained Statistics Canada interviewer. The collection period will be approximately ten weeks. All Statistics Canada directives and policies for the development, collection, and dissemination of the survey will be followed, and survey responses will not be attached to respondents' addresses or phone numbers. The data will be representative of the health care worker population and may be disaggregated by province, ethnicity, gender, age groupings, and other variables; in order to ensure anonymity.

3. Proportionality:

   Data on mental health and its impacts, as well as data on consumption of illegal drugs are highly sensitive. Moreover, mental-health issues may be exacerbated due to COVID‐19 isolation protocols. For these reasons, experts at Statistics Canada have been consulted on the scope and methodology of the survey. Wherever possible, questions about mental health and well‐being from existing surveys have been used. Some of these questions were taken from the Survey of COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) and have previously undergone qualitative testing; the SHCWEP questionnaire also underwent qualitative testing.

   All the data to be collected are required to fulfill the purpose of the survey as described above. All questions and response categories were carefully considered to ensure they accurately capture the data in question to help inform activities such as health care workforce planning, the delivery of health care services and to better understand what health care workers need in terms of equipment, training, and support.

   Statistics Canada directives and policies with respect to data collection and publication will be followed to ensure the confidentiality of the data. Individual responses will be grouped with those of others when reporting results. Individual responses and results for small groups (as established by minimum prevalence levels for each variable among these small groups) will not be published or shared with government departments or agencies. This approach will also reduce any potential impact on vulnerable populations or subsets of populations, as the grouping of results will protect the confidentiality of individuals within a particular subset of the population. As permitted by the Statistics Act^{Footnote 8} and with consent of individual respondents, survey responses may be shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, provincial and territorial ministries of health, and for Quebec residents, the Institut de la statistique du Québec, strictly for statistical and research purposes, to aid in future policy decisions related to health care workers, in accordance with Statistics Canada's security and confidentiality requirements.

   The findings will support decision-making at all levels of government and improve knowledge and understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers, and will help inform government decision‐making in order to support health care workers in their personal and professional lives. The privacy measures taken are proportional to the potential risks to an individual's privacy.

   Proportionality has also been considered based on ethics:

   Prior to collection, individuals selected to participate in the survey will be clearly informed that the survey is voluntary. They will also be informed of the survey's purpose and topics, so that they can make an informed decision about whether they want to participate. This notification to all potential participants will be done in writing on the questionnaire, or verbally by the interviewer before any questions are asked. They will also be asked if their data can be shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, provincial and territorial ministries of health, and for Quebec residents, the Institut de la statistique du Québec.

   Since some of the survey questions are sensitive and could lead to distress, mental-health resources will be included in the help text for those questions, which can be accessed in the electronic questionnaire and during interviews.

   The help text reads as follows and includes 10 resources of which 3 are listed here as examples:

   In the current context of COVID-19, many people are trying to adjust to the new norms, such as returning to work or day-to-day life. During this time, many people may not feel that they are in control of things, and it is normal to feel concerned, sad, stressed, confused, scared or worried.

   Should you need any support, please contact any of the following resources:

   • Canada Suicide Prevention Service

     A national network of existing distress, crisis and suicide prevention line services

     Crisis Services Canada website

     Telephone: 1-833-456-4566

   • APPELLE (Quebec Residents)

     Help line for those thinking about suicide or are worried about a loved one

     Telephone: 1-866-277-3553

   • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

     A wide range of clinical care services for mental illness and addictions

     Camh website

     Telephone: 1-800-463-2338

4. Alternatives:

   Research was conducted on existing administrative data and other surveys related to health care workers. It was determined that these types of data sources would not provide the details needed to fully understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers. As a result, it was determined that a survey to collect this information was required. A previous crowdsource collection, where information is collected from volunteers, took place in November and December of 2020 which collected information primarily related to the participant's work environment and access to infection prevention and control (IPC) and personal protective equipment (PPE) at work without much information about individuals' personal lives. Additionally, because it was a crowdsource collection, it is not possible to use it to produce estimates that are representative of the Canadian population. Based on discussions between health and methodology experts within Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, it was determined that a survey with at least 30,000 units was necessary to produce reliable and accurate results by province and the four health occupation groups of interest (physicians, nurses, PSWs, and other health care workers). Releasing data at these aggregated levels would reduce the potential to identify impacts on vulnerable populations, subsets of populations, and groups.

Mitigation factors:

Some questions contained in the Survey on Health Care Worker's Experiences During the Pandemic are considered sensitive as they relate to an individual's mental health and well-being. The overall risk of harm to the survey respondents has been deemed manageable with existing Statistics Canada safeguards that are described in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment, as well as with the following measures:

Mental-Health Resources:

As with mental health surveys conducted by Statistics Canada, mental-health resources and contact information will be provided to respondents as a help button within the electronic questionnaire. In addition, in the case of telephone follow-up for non-response, interviewers will be trained and equipped to offer mental health resources and contact information to survey respondents.

Transparency:

Prior to collection, individuals selected to participate in the survey will be clearly informed that the survey is voluntary. They will also be informed of the survey's purpose and topics, so that they can make an informed decision about whether they want to participate. This notification to all potential participants will be done in writing on the questionnaire, or verbally by the interviewer before any questions are asked. The topics listed as part of the survey will include: job type and setting, personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and protocols, COVID-19 vaccination and diagnosis, and the impacts of the pandemic on personal health and work life. It also includes general demographic questions. This information will be provided through invitation and reminder letters, and will be repeated at the beginning of the questionnaire. Information about the survey, as well as the survey questionnaire, will also be available on Statistics Canada's website.

Confidentiality:

Individual responses will be grouped with those of others when reporting results. Individual responses and results for very small groups will never be published or shared with government departments or agencies. Following careful analysis of the data, consideration will be given prior to the release of aggregate data to ensure that marginalized and vulnerable communities are not disproportionally impacted. As permitted by the Statistics Act, and only with the consent of the respondent, survey responses may be shared with PHAC, Health Canada and provincial and territorial ministries of health, strictly for statistical and research purposes, and in accordance Statistics Canada's security and confidentiality requirements. The postal code will not be used to identify respondents given that only aggregated data will be released.

Conclusion:

This assessment concludes that with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards and additional mitigation factors listed above, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.