NOC 2021 · 51101 · TEER 1
NOC 51101: Conservators and curators
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Conservators restore and conserve artifacts belonging to museums, galleries and owners of cultural property. Curators recommend the acquisition of museum artifacts and gallery works of art and research their artistic history. Conservators and curators are employed in museums, art galleries, archives, libraries, government agencies and universities. Conservators may be self-employed.
TEER
TEER 1
Usually needs a university degree
Median wage (Canada)
$36.36 / hour
Job Bank, 2024
High-wage tier (from 3 Nov 2026)
Tier 3
+20 CRS for Canadian work, or 50 for a job offer
Express Entry categories
None
General and program draws only
Express Entry
How NOC 51101 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 51101 is in tier 3 of IRCC's high-wage list, in effect from 3 November 2026.
| 12+ months of Canadian work | +20 points on top of work-length points |
|---|---|
| Qualifying job offer (no LMIA) | 50 points |
You get whichever option scores higher, not both.
See all 186 high-wage occupationsCategory-based draws
NOC 51101 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:
- Conservators
- Examine artifacts, determine their condition, suggest methods for treating them and recommend preventive conservation techniques to their owners
- Restore and conserve paintings, photographs, books, papers, sculptures, furniture, pottery or other museum and art gallery artifacts as per particular field of specialization
- Provide advice on display and storage of museum and gallery artifacts to ensure proper maintenance and preservation
- Explore new conservation and restoration techniques
- Provide consultation to museums, art galleries or private individuals
- Supervise conservation technicians and other museum technicians.
- Curators
- Recommend the acquisition of paintings, photographs, sculptures, documents and other museum and art gallery artifacts
- Conduct research into objects' methods of construction techniques, structure and materials to understand its physical and chemical makeup
- Develop storylines and themes and organize displays and exhibitions
- Coordinate the storage of collections and the setting up of displays and exhibitions
- Oversee the conservation, display and circulation of collections
- Supervise curatorial assistants and other museum technicians.
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
- art gallery conservator
- art objects conservator
- conservator - museum
- curator
- historical artifact conservator
- natural history museum curator
All 52 job titles in NOC 51101
- archaeology curator
- archaeology museum curator
- architectural conservator
- art gallery conservator
- art gallery curator
- art object curator
- art objects conservator
- artifact conservator
- assistant curator
- assistant museum curator
- aviation and space museum curator
- book conservator
- ceramics and glass conservator
- conservator - museum
- contemporary art curator
- contemporary art museum curator
- curator
- ethnographic objects conservator
- ethnology curator
- ethnology museum curator
- fine art and polychrome conservator
- fossil conservator
- fossil curator
- furniture and wooden objects conservator
- herbarium curator
- historical artifact conservator
- insectarium conservator
- insectarium curator
- invertebrate zoology curator
- invertebrate zoology museum curator
- library and archives conservator
- library curator
- metals conservator
- museologist
- museum curator
- museum objects conservator
- natural history museum curator
- natural history specimen conservator
- natural sciences curator
- natural sciences museum curator
- ornithology curator
- ornithology museum curator
- paintings conservator
- paper conservator
- photograph conservator
- photography museum curator
- science and technology curator
- science and technology museum curator
- sculpture conservator
- textile conservator
- vertebrate zoology curator
- vertebrate zoology museum curator
Also includes: assistant curator.
Requirements
Employment requirements
- Conservators require a master's degree in art conservation or completion of a two-year college program in conservation technology and several years of experience in conservation work.
- Conservators may be accredited by the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators.
- Curators require a master's or bachelor's degree in museology, art history or a field related to their specific area of work.
Additional information
- Progression to museum or art gallery management positions is possible with experience.
- Conservators and curators may specialize in a particular type of collection or material, such as furniture, weapons, books, paintings and musical instruments.
Wages
Wages for NOC 51101 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 | $23.54 | $36.36 | $54.74 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Nova Scotia | $24.53 | $35.67 | $53.20 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Quebec | $26.30 | $38.57 | $52.91 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Ontario | $24.95 | $34.28 | $45.64 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Saskatchewan | $31.05 | $39.46 | $53.44 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Alberta | $23.93 | $38.06 | $55.06 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| British Columbia | $25.08 | $36.17 | $44.74 | 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.
ModerateQuebec
The employment outlook will be Moderate for conservators and curators (NOC 51101) in Quebec 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 conservators and curators in Quebec:
Approximately 350 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Conservators and curators mainly work in the following sectors:
Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71): 77%
Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 8%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 89% compared to 82% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 11% compared to 18% for all occupations
75% of conservators and curators work all year, while 25% 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 47 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
17% of conservators and curators are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 39% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 61% 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: less than 5% compared to 19% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 19% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 22% compared to 17% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 69% compared to 11% for all occupations
ModerateOntario
The employment outlook will be Moderate for conservators and curators (NOC 51101) in Ontario 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 conservators and curators in Ontario:
Approximately 900 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Conservators and curators mainly work in the following sectors:
Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71): 54%
Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 7%
Federal government public administration (NAICS 911): 6%
Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration (NAICS 913-919): 6%
Universities (NAICS 6113): 6%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 86% compared to 81% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 14% compared to 19% for all occupations
65% of conservators and curators work all year, while 35% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 44 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
16% of conservators and curators are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 27% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 73% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 6% compared to 25% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 9% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 30% compared to 24% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 54% compared to 13% for all occupations
ModerateBritish Columbia
The employment outlook will be Moderate for conservators and curators (NOC 51101) 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 moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.
Here are some key facts about conservators and curators in British Columbia:
Approximately 400 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Conservators and curators mainly work in the following sectors:
Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71): 73%
Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 7%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 6%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 79% compared to 78% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 21% compared to 22% for all occupations
67% of conservators and curators work all year, while 33% 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 45 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
24% of conservators and curators are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 26% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 74% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 28% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 35% compared to 22% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 50% compared to 12% for all occupations
Very limitedManitoba
The employment outlook will be Very limited for conservators and curators (NOC 51101) in Manitoba for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Here are some key facts about conservators and curators in Manitoba:
Approximately 100 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
77% of conservators and curators work all year, while 23% work only part of the year, compared to 65% and 35% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 36% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 64% 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: 13% compared to 31% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
bachelor's degree: 40% compared to 20% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 47% compared to 8% 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.
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 51101 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.
- 53100 Registrars, restorers, interpreters and other occupations related to museum and art galleries
- 53123 Theatre, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers
- 11202 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
- 60030 Restaurant and food service managers
Same occupation group
Librarians, archivists, conservators and curators
Questions
NOC 51101: common questions
What is the NOC code for conservators and curators?
What TEER category is NOC 51101?
Is NOC 51101 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 51101 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 51101 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 51101 in Canada?
Classification
Where it sits in NOC 2021
- 5Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sportBroad Category
- 51Professional occupations in art and cultureMajor Group
- 511Professional occupations in art and cultureSub-major Group
- 5110Librarians, archivists, conservators and curatorsMinor Group
- 51101Conservators and curators
Enquiry
Is NOC 51101 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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