Canada is making changes to the NOC system. NOC 2021 will be introduced in the fall of 2022.
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is the national reference for occupations and is part of Canada’s system for immigration. Skilled workers need to show that their work experience and education follow the requirements for the job at which they want to work.
The Canadian government does a major revision of the NOC every 10 years. Changes are due to the current state of the economy and labour market in Canada.
Instead of having a four-level skill structure (NOC A, B, C, D), the new NOC system uses six levels of Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) to describe what is required for each occupation. Jobs will have a 5 digit code instead of four.
The levels include the following:
TEER 0 – Management
TEER 1 – University degree, several years of experience
TEER 2 – Community College degree of 2 or 3 years, several years of experience
TEER 3 – Community College program completion of less than 2 years, job training or work experience
TEER 4 – Secondary School completion, job training or work experience
TEER 5 – No formal education, short work experience
The reasons for these changes are to provide a clearer understanding of education and work experience needed for occupations and to better classify high- and low-skilled jobs.
These changes to the NOC system will affect immigrants applying for employer-driven immigration programs and looking for work in Canada. Immigrants need to be aware of the changes and how they will affect them in the future for work.
