NOC 2021 · 21109 · TEER 1
NOC 21109: Other professional occupations in physical sciences
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Professionals in other physical sciences occupations conduct theoretical and applied research in fields of physical science. Metallurgists, soil scientists and physical scientists and researchers are included in this unit group. They are employed by governments, educational institutions and a wide range of industrial establishments.
TEER
TEER 1
Usually needs a university degree
Median wage (Canada)
$43.00 / hour
Job Bank, 2023-2024
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 21109 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 21109 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 21109 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:
- Metallurgists
- Conduct studies into the properties and production of metals and alloys.
- Soil scientists
- Conduct research into the composition, distribution and evolution of soils.
- Materials scientists
- Conduct research into the properties, composition and production of materials such as ceramics and composite materials.
- Astronauts
- Command, pilot or serve as crew members of a spacecraft to conduct scientific experiments and research, and participate in space missions as mission specialists to maintain spacecraft, install and repair space station equipment and launch and recapture satellites.
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
- astronaut
- ballistics examiner
- materials scientist
- metallurgist
- physical metallurgist
- research scientist - ceramics
- research scientist - composite materials
- soil scientist
All 19 job titles in NOC 21109
- astronaut
- ballistician
- ballistics examiner
- cosmonaut
- extractive metallurgist
- firearms examiner
- firearms expert
- hydrometallurgist
- materials engineering scientist
- materials scientist
- metallographer
- metallurgist
- pedologist
- physical metallurgist
- pyrometallurgist
- research metallurgist
- research scientist - ceramics
- research scientist - composite materials
- soil scientist
Requirements
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's degree in metallurgy, physics, chemistry, or a related physical science discipline is required.
- A master's or doctoral degree is usually required for employment as a research scientist.
- Advanced degrees in a broad range of applied science areas, such as engineering or medicine or Licences may be required for some occupations in this unit group.
Additional information
- Mobility between specializations in this group may be possible with experience.
- Mobility is possible with experience, to other fields of physical science or to management or regulatory program management.
This occupation may be regulated in some provinces. You may need a licence or certificate from the provincial regulator before you can work in it in Canada, even if you hold permanent residence.
Wages
Wages for NOC 21109 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 | $27.78 | $43.00 | $75.90 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Quebec | $29.62 | $42.16 | $60.75 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Ontario | $32.41 | $45.99 | $75.96 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| British Columbia | $30.87 | $45.16 | $66.00 | 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 rates the 3-year outlook as good or very good in Quebec, British Columbia.
Very goodQuebec
The employment outlook will be Very good for other professional occupations in physical sciences (NOC 21109) in Quebec for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
Several 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 other professional occupations in physical sciences in Quebec:
Approximately 150 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Other professional occupations in physical sciences mainly work in the following sectors:
Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 20%
Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 18%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 16%
Primary metal manufacturing (NAICS 331): 11%
Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 11%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 91% compared to 82% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 9% compared to 18% for all occupations
88% of other professional occupations in physical sciences work all year, while 13% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 49 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 77% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 23% 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: 13% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 31% compared to 17% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 41% compared to 11% for all occupations
GoodBritish Columbia
The employment outlook will be Good for other professional occupations in physical sciences (NOC 21109) in British Columbia for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to a few new positions.
Several 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 other professional occupations in physical sciences in British Columbia:
Approximately 50 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Other professional occupations in physical sciences mainly work in the following sectors:
Architectural, engineering and design services (NAICS 5413): 45%
Mining and quarrying (NAICS 212): 35%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 20%
60% of other professional occupations in physical sciences work all year, while 40% 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 42 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 67% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 33% 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: 50% compared to 22% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 36% 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.
UndeterminedNova Scotia
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.
UndeterminedOntario
An employment outlook was not assessed due to the number of varied occupations included in this occupational group.
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.
UndeterminedAlberta
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 21109 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.
Same occupation group
Physical science professionals
Questions
NOC 21109: common questions
What is the NOC code for other professional occupations in physical sciences?
What TEER category is NOC 21109?
Is NOC 21109 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 21109 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 21109 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 21109 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
- 21109Other professional occupations in physical sciences
Enquiry
Is NOC 21109 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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