Update of the National Occupational Classification

Consultation objectives

As part of continuous improvement, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada have decided to increase the frequency of National Occupational Classification (NOC) updates. Updates contain non-structural changes. A non-structural change means adding new occupational titles to current groups, modifying the descriptions of the unit groups, or improving the correspondence between English and French versions of the classification.

Revisions, on the other hand, will continue to take place every 10 years. Unlike updates, revisions can include structural changes. A structural change means changing the conceptual boundaries of occupational groups, moving occupations to different groups, or changing the hierarchical classification structure. The next NOC revision is scheduled for 2021.

Consultation method

ESDC and Statistics Canada invite users of the NOC, such as industry representatives and experts in the field of employment research, to submit proposals for changes to the NOC.

The proposals aim to collect input from users as an integral part of the NOC update process, and to fuel research in preparation for the NOC revision. All proposals received will be shared between ESDC and Statistics Canada, which will be working jointly on the update of the NOC.

How to get involved

Respondents are invited to provide their comments, feedback and suggestions on how to improve the NOC content to NC-CONSULT-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca before November 30, 2017. Proposals must contain the name, address, email address and phone number of the respondent.

Canada will not reimburse respondents for expenses incurred in developing their proposal. Please note that there will be other consultation periods in the future.

Respondents are encouraged to follow these guidelines when developing their proposal. Proposals may be written in either of Canada's official languages, English or French.

Proposals should:

• clearly identify the proposed addition, change or modification;
• outline the rationale and include supporting information for the change suggested, such as:
  • approximate population of workers across the country;
  • duties;
  • requirements for certification (if any);
  • educational background, tools and technology used, as well as experience required for entry into the occupation;
  • current job titles used in the labour market;
• provide details about experts, related associations or representatives within the sector;
• be consistent with classification principles such as mutual exclusivity, exhaustiveness, and homogeneity within unit groups;
• be relevant, that is:
  • present analytical interest;
  • enhance the usefulness of data;
  • be based on appropriate statistical research or subject matter expertise.

Treatment of proposals

A team of representatives from ESDC and Statistics Canada will review all proposals received. Canada reserves the right to use independent consultants, or government employees, if deemed necessary, to assess proposals.

If deemed appropriate, Canada will contact the respondents to ask additional questions or ask for clarification on a particular aspect of their proposal.

The review of proposals will not necessarily result in changes to the NOC. However, if Canada adopts changes, non-structural changes will be implemented in future NOC updates while structural changes will occur as part of the NOC 2021 revision.

Privacy

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of its participants. All personal information collected during this consultation is protected under the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada's privacy policies, please consult the Privacy notice.