NOC 2021 · 21103 · TEER 1
NOC 21103: Meteorologists and climatologists
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Meteorologists and climatologists analyze and forecast weather, provide consultation on atmospheric phenomena and conduct research into the processes and phenomena of weather, climate and atmosphere. They are employed by all levels of government, natural resources and utility companies, the media and private consulting firms, or they may be self-employed.
TEER
TEER 1
Usually needs a university degree
Median wage (Canada)
$53.94 / hour
Job Bank, 2024
High-wage tier (from 3 Nov 2026)
Tier 2
+40 CRS for Canadian work, or 70 for a job offer
Express Entry categories
None
General and program draws only
Express Entry
How NOC 21103 counts for Express Entry
- Federal Skilled Worker: eligible occupationNeeds 1 year of continuous skilled (TEER 0–3) work in the last 10 years and 67 points on the FSW grid.
- Canadian Experience Class: eligible occupationNeeds 1 year of skilled (TEER 0–3) work in Canada in the last 3 years.
- Federal Skilled Trades: not eligibleNeeds 2 years of work in an eligible trade group in the last 5 years, plus a job offer or a Canadian certificate of qualification.
High-wage CRS points
NOC 21103 is in tier 2 of IRCC's high-wage list, in effect from 3 November 2026.
| 12+ months of Canadian work | +40 points on top of work-length points |
|---|---|
| Qualifying job offer (no LMIA) | 70 points |
You get whichever option scores higher, not both.
See all 186 high-wage occupationsCategory-based draws
NOC 21103 is not on any of IRCC's 2026 occupation categories. You can still be invited through general, program-specific or French-language draws.
IRCC category listsDuties
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Analyze and interpret data obtained from meteorological stations, radar and satellite imagery and computer model output
- Produce weather forecasts and provide weather consulting services for industries such as aviation, marine, agriculture and tourism, and to the general public
- Disseminate weather forecasts and reports to the general public through a variety of media including radio, television, print and the Internet
- Conduct research and provide consultation on the processes and determinants of atmospheric phenomena, weather and climate, atmospheric dispersion, and physical and chemical transformation of pollutants
- Develop and test mathematical computer models of weather and climate for experimental or operational use
- Analyze the impact of industrial projects and human activity on the climate and quality of the air and work with the social science, engineering and economic communities to develop appropriate mitigation strategies
- Participate in studies of the effect of weather on the environment
- Provide consultation and advice to outside agencies, professionals, or researchers regarding the use and interpretation of climatological information
- Make scientific presentations, publish reports, articles or popular texts for specialists, users or the general public
- May engage in the design and development of new equipment and procedures for meteorological data collection, remote sensing, or for related applications.
For Express Entry, your experience must match the lead statement and most of these duties, not only the job title.
Job titles
Example job titles
- air quality meteorologist
- climatologist
- hydrometeorologist
- meteorologist
- operational meteorologist
All 12 job titles in NOC 21103
- agricultural meteorologist
- air quality meteorologist
- applied meteorologist
- climatologist
- hydrometeorologist
- industrial meteorologist
- meteorologist
- operational meteorologist
- paleometeorologist
- physical meteorologist
- synoptic meteorologist
- weather forecaster
Also includes: weather forecaster.
Requirements
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's or master's degree in meteorology, atmospheric sciences or in a related field is required.
- A doctoral degree is usually required for employment as a research scientist in meteorology.
- Formal training is provided by Environment Canada for operational meteorologists employed by the federal government.
- Membership in the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society is available, but voluntary, for qualified meteorologists.
Wages
Wages for NOC 21103 in Canada
Low, median and high wages per hour in Canadian dollars, from ESDC Job Bank's 2025 wage data.
| Region | Low | Median | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $33.89 | $53.94 | $75.12 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $32.56 | $44.05 | $66.76 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Nova Scotia | $35.97 | $56.47 | $74.50 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Quebec | $38.27 | $53.79 | $75.84 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Ontario | $34.67 | $52.22 | $75.55 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Alberta | $38.46 | $55.48 | $73.43 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| British Columbia | $37.50 | $51.63 | $72.45 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
Provinces with too little data are not shown. Wages vary by city and employer; see Job Bank for regional figures.
Job outlook
Job outlook by province, 2025–2027
Job Bank's 3-year employment outlook for this occupation, by province and territory.
ModerateNova Scotia
The employment outlook will be Moderate for meteorologists and climatologists (NOC 21103) in Nova Scotia for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment is expected to remain relatively stable.
A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about meteorologists and climatologists in Nova Scotia:
Approximately 50 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Meteorologists and climatologists mainly work in the following sectors:
Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 83%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 17%
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 77% compared to 51% for all occupations
Women: 23% compared to 49% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
bachelor's degree: 15% compared to 20% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 69% compared to 10% for all occupations
ModerateAlberta
The employment outlook will be Moderate for meteorologists and climatologists (NOC 21103) in Alberta for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about meteorologists and climatologists in Alberta:
Approximately 100 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Meteorologists and climatologists mainly work in the following sectors:
Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 78%
Information and cultural industries (NAICS 51): 13%
Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration (NAICS 913-919): 10%
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 83% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 17% compared to 47% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
bachelor's degree: 56% compared to 21% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 43% compared to 9% for all occupations
ModerateBritish Columbia
The employment outlook will be Moderate for meteorologists and climatologists (NOC 21103) in British Columbia for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about meteorologists and climatologists in British Columbia:
Approximately 150 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Meteorologists and climatologists mainly work in the following sectors:
Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 49%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 19%
Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 15%
Utilities (NAICS 22): 10%
Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration (NAICS 913-919): 8%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 90% compared to 78% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 10% compared to 22% for all occupations
86% of meteorologists and climatologists work all year, while 14% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 49 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
7% of meteorologists and climatologists are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 79% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 21% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: n/a
high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
bachelor's degree: 47% compared to 22% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 43% compared to 12% for all occupations
UndeterminedNewfoundland and Labrador
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedPrince Edward Island
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNew Brunswick
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedQuebec
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedOntario
An employment outlook for this occupation was not assessed in this region.
UndeterminedManitoba
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedSaskatchewan
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNorthwest Territories
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
UndeterminedNunavut
An employment outlook has not been assigned to this occupation in this region due to low levels of employment.
Source: ESDC Job Bank, 3-year employment outlooks 2025–2027 (released December 2025).
Provinces
Provincial Nominee Programs
A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points. Most provinces run occupation-targeted draws or in-demand lists, and some accept TEER 4 and 5 occupations that Express Entry does not.
Provincial lists change often, sometimes between draws. We check whether NOC 21103 is being targeted by any province as part of a consultation.
Similar occupations
Related NOC codes
Classified elsewhere
If your duties fit one of these better, use that code instead.
- 52114 Announcers and other broadcasters
Same occupation group
Physical science professionals
Questions
NOC 21103: common questions
What is the NOC code for meteorologists and climatologists?
What TEER category is NOC 21103?
Is NOC 21103 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 21103 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 21103 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 21103 in Canada?
Classification
Where it sits in NOC 2021
- 2Natural and applied sciences and related occupationsBroad Category
- 21Professional occupations in natural and applied sciencesMajor Group
- 211Professional occupations in natural sciencesSub-major Group
- 2110Physical science professionalsMinor Group
- 21103Meteorologists and climatologists
Enquiry
Is NOC 21103 your occupation? Ask us about your options.
Tell us your duties, experience and language scores. We will confirm your NOC code and the Canadian routes that fit.
Sources: Statistics Canada, NOC 2021 Version 1.0, Job Bank wages (2025), Job Bank outlooks 2025–2027 and IRCC. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Checked 21 October 2026.
NOC 2026 is due from Statistics Canada in December 2026. IRCC still uses NOC 2021 codes, and this page will show any change once IRCC switches.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Canada, IRCC or ESDC.
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