NOC 2021 · 51111 · TEER 1
NOC 51111: Authors and writers (except technical)
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Authors and writers plan, research and write books, scripts, storyboards, plays, essays, speeches and other non-journalistic articles for publication or presentation. They are employed by advertising agencies, governments, large corporations, private consulting firms, publishing firms, multimedia/new-media companies and other establishments, or they may be self-employed.
TEER
TEER 1
Usually needs a university degree
Median wage (Canada)
$36.81 / hour
Job Bank, 2023-2024
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 51111 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 51111 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 51111 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:
- Novelists, playwrights, script writers, poets and other creative writers
- Conceive and write novels, plays, scripts, poetry and other material for publication or presentation
- May conduct research to establish factual content and to obtain other necessary information.
- Content writers (non-technical)
- Write e-copy, blog posts, e-books, podcasts and other forms of Web-based content
- Conduct research on a variety of topics to inform writing and may consult with clients to determine the goals of the writing.
- Copywriters
- Study and determine selling features of products and services and write text for advertisements and commercials.
- Authors and writers may specialize in a particular subject or type of writing.
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
- advertising copywriter
- copywriter
- essayist
- interactive media writer
- literary writer
- novelist
- playwright
- poet
- script writer
- speech writer
- writer
All 44 job titles in NOC 51111
- ad writer
- advertising copywriter
- advertising writer
- author
- biographer
- blogger
- content creator - writing
- content writer (except technical)
- copywriter
- crossword puzzle maker
- designer and script writer
- dialogue writer
- dubbing dialogue writer
- essayist
- feature writer
- fiction writer
- ghost writer
- humorist-author
- interactive media writer
- lexicographer
- literary writer
- multimedia author
- multimedia script writer
- multimedia writer
- new media writer
- novelist
- playwright
- poet
- publicity writer
- radio writer
- rewriter
- screen writer
- script and dialogue writer
- script writer
- serial story writer
- serial writer
- short story writer
- speech writer
- sports writer - novels and books
- storyboarder
- teleplay writer - screenwriter
- television writer
- Web content specialist
- writer
Requirements
Employment requirements
- Copywriters usually require a university degree or college diploma in French, English, marketing, advertising or another discipline.
- Creative writing programs are offered by universities and colleges.
- Talent and ability, as demonstrated by a portfolio of work, are important hiring criteria.
- Membership in a guild or union related to the occupation may be required.
Wages
Wages for NOC 51111 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 | $25.48 | $36.81 | $53.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $22.23 | $31.96 | $46.74 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Nova Scotia | $25.00 | $33.00 | $40.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| New Brunswick | $21.00 | $32.63 | $45.67 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Quebec | $26.92 | $36.00 | $53.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Ontario | $25.82 | $40.38 | $53.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Manitoba | $22.12 | $32.34 | $39.40 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Saskatchewan | $21.04 | $34.37 | $48.01 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Alberta | $20.00 | $38.56 | $55.00 | Employment Insurance Survey Data, 2023-2024 |
| British Columbia | $20.75 | $36.44 | $68.75 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
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 Saskatchewan.
GoodSaskatchewan
The employment outlook will be Good for authors and writers (except technical) (NOC 51111) in Saskatchewan 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 authors and writers (except technical) in Saskatchewan:
Approximately 400 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Authors and writers (except technical) mainly work in the following sectors:
Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71): 54%
Information and cultural industries (NAICS 51): 15%
Other professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 5414, 5416-5419): 11%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 56% compared to 81% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 43% compared to 19% for all occupations
59% of authors and writers (except technical) work all year, while 41% 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 42 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
64% of authors and writers (except technical) are self-employed compared to an average of 16% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 37% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 63% compared to 47% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 19% compared to 33% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 15% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 6% compared to 17% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 55% compared to 18% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 13% compared to 7% 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 for this occupation was not assessed in this region.
UndeterminedNew Brunswick
Since the employment opportunities in this occupation are primarily based on talent or entrepreneurship, they will vary from one individual to another.
UndeterminedQuebec
Since the employment opportunities in this occupation are primarily based on talent or entrepreneurship, they will vary from one individual to another.
UndeterminedOntario
Since the employment opportunities in this occupation are primarily based on talent or entrepreneurship, they will vary from one individual to another.
UndeterminedManitoba
Since the employment opportunities in this occupation are primarily based on talent or entrepreneurship, they will vary from one individual to another.
UndeterminedAlberta
Since the employment opportunities in this occupation are primarily based on talent or entrepreneurship, they will vary from one individual to another.
UndeterminedBritish Columbia
Since the employment opportunities in this occupation are primarily based on talent or entrepreneurship, they will vary from one individual to another.
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 51111 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.
- 51110 Editors
- 51113 Journalists
- 11202 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
- 51121 Conductors, composers and arrangers
- 51112 Technical writers
- 51114 Translators, terminologists and interpreters
Same occupation group
Writing, translating and related communications professionals
- 51110 Editors
- 51112 Technical writers
- 51113 Journalists
- 51114 Translators, terminologists and interpreters
Questions
NOC 51111: common questions
What is the NOC code for authors and writers (except technical)?
What TEER category is NOC 51111?
Is NOC 51111 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 51111 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 51111 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 51111 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
- 5111Writing, translating and related communications professionalsMinor Group
- 51111Authors and writers (except technical)
Enquiry
Is NOC 51111 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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