NOC 2021 · 63201 · TEER 3
NOC 63201: Butchers - retail and wholesale
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Butchers prepare standard and specialty cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments. They are employed in supermarkets, grocery stores, butcher shops and fish stores or may be self-employed. Butchers who are supervisors or heads of departments are included in this unit group. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
TEER
TEER 3
Usually needs a college diploma, an apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than 6 months of on-the-job training
Median wage (Canada)
$20.00 / hour
Job Bank, 2023-2024
High-wage tier (from 3 Nov 2026)
Not on the list
No high-wage CRS points
Express Entry categories
Trades
Category-based draws (2026)
Express Entry
How NOC 63201 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: eligible occupationNeeds 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 63201 is not one of IRCC's 186 high-wage occupations, so Canadian work or a job offer in it earns no high-wage points. Your usual Canadian work-length points still count.
See all 186 high-wage occupationsCategory-based draws
- Trades
At least 12 months of full-time work experience (or equal part-time) in the past 3 years in one listed occupation, plus Express Entry eligibility and the round instructions.
IRCC category listsDuties
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Cut, trim, bone and otherwise prepare custom and/or standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale at self-serve counters or according to customers' orders
- Prepare meat for special displays and/or delivery
- Shape, lace and tie roasts and other meats, poultry or fish and may wrap or package fresh or frozen or prepared meats
- Manage inventory, keep records of sales and determine amount, product line and freshness of products according to company and customer requirements
- Adhere to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and food safety standards
- Ensure food storage conditions are adequate
- May supervise, direct work or train other butchers, meat cutters or fishmongers.
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
- butcher - butcher shop
- butcher apprentice
- head butcher - wholesale
- retail butcher
All 13 job titles in NOC 63201
- apprentice butcher - retail or wholesale
- butcher - butcher shop
- butcher - delicatessen
- butcher - retail or wholesale
- butcher - wholesale
- butcher apprentice
- butcher assistant
- grocery store butcher
- head butcher - retail
- head butcher - retail or wholesale
- head butcher - wholesale
- retail butcher
- supermarket butcher
Requirements
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school may be required.
- Completion of a college or other butchery training program may be required.
- Several years of on-the-job training in food stores is usually required for retail butchers.
Additional information
- Progression from industrial butcher and industrial meat cutter positions to these higher skilled jobs is possible with experience and specialized on the job training in supermarkets, grocery stores, fish stores, butcher shops.
Wages
Wages for NOC 63201 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 | $15.25 | $20.00 | $28.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Nova Scotia | $16.50 | $19.72 | $26.39 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| New Brunswick | $15.65 | $18.75 | $31.85 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Quebec | $16.10 | $20.00 | $26.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Ontario | $17.60 | $21.75 | $29.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Manitoba | $16.00 | $17.00 | $23.00 | Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024 |
| Saskatchewan | $16.85 | $19.16 | $27.39 | Small Area Estimation, 2024 |
| Alberta | $17.00 | $22.00 | $27.00 | Employment Insurance Survey Data, 2023-2024 |
| British Columbia | $19.10 | $24.23 | $32.49 | 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 Ontario, Saskatchewan.
GoodOntario
The employment outlook will be Good for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) in Ontario 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 moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about butchers - retail and wholesale in Ontario:
Approximately 4,100 people work in this occupation.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 82%
Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 9%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 80% compared to 81% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 20% compared to 19% for all occupations
70% of butchers - retail and wholesale work all year, while 30% 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.
9% of butchers - retail and wholesale are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 87% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 13% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 30% compared to 9% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 42% compared to 25% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 10% compared to 8% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 13% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 24% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations
GoodSaskatchewan
The employment outlook will be Good for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) 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 butchers - retail and wholesale in Saskatchewan:
Approximately 150 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 75%
Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 17%
Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 8%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 79% compared to 81% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 21% compared to 19% for all occupations
79% of butchers - retail and wholesale work all year, while 21% 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 48 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
9% of butchers - retail and wholesale are self-employed compared to an average of 16% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 82% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 18% compared to 47% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 19% compared to 11% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 49% compared to 33% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 24% compared to 15% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: n/a
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
ModerateNew Brunswick
The employment outlook will be Moderate for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) in New Brunswick for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about butchers - retail and wholesale in New Brunswick:
Approximately 150 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): more than 95%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 84% compared to 84% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 16% compared to 16% for all occupations
75% of butchers - retail and wholesale 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 44 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 87% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 13% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 28% compared to 11% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 50% compared to 30% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 6% compared to 12% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 14% compared to 23% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: n/a
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
ModerateAlberta
The employment outlook will be Moderate for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) in Alberta 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 moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about butchers - retail and wholesale in Alberta:
Approximately 500 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 69%
Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 18%
Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 6%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 93% compared to 80% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 7% compared to 20% for all occupations
71% of butchers - retail and wholesale work all year, while 28% 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.
12% of butchers - retail and wholesale are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 81% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 19% compared to 47% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 25% compared to 10% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 41% compared to 28% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 17% compared to 13% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 11% compared to 19% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 6% compared to 21% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
LimitedQuebec
The employment outlook will be Limited for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) in Quebec for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about butchers - retail and wholesale in Quebec:
Approximately 7,350 people work in this occupation.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 88%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 83% compared to 82% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 17% compared to 18% for all occupations
74% of butchers - retail and wholesale work all year, while 26% 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 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
8% of butchers - retail and wholesale are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 90% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 10% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 25% compared to 12% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 23% compared to 19% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 42% compared to 19% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 7% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 17% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
LimitedManitoba
The employment outlook will be Limited for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) in Manitoba for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
There are several unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about butchers - retail and wholesale in Manitoba:
Approximately 250 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 89%
Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 11%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 84% compared to 81% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 16% compared to 19% for all occupations
64% of butchers - retail and wholesale work all year, while 36% 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 44 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 84% compared to 53% for all occupations
Women: 16% compared to 47% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 23% compared to 12% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 55% compared to 31% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
bachelor's degree: 9% compared to 20% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
LimitedBritish Columbia
The employment outlook will be Limited for butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201) 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 moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about butchers - retail and wholesale in British Columbia:
Approximately 1,000 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Butchers - retail and wholesale mainly work in the following sectors:
Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445): 81%
Wholesale trade (NAICS 41): 15%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 84% compared to 78% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 16% compared to 22% for all occupations
70% of butchers - retail and wholesale work all year, while 30% 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 44 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
11% of butchers - retail and wholesale are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: 84% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: 16% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 21% compared to 8% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 45% compared to 28% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 15% compared to 13% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 11% compared to 17% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 6% compared to 22% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% 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.
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 63201 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.
- 94142 Fish and seafood plant workers
- 94141 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
- 65202 Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale
- 60020 Retail and wholesale trade managers
- 64100 Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers
Questions
NOC 63201: common questions
What is the NOC code for butchers - retail and wholesale?
What TEER category is NOC 63201?
Is NOC 63201 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 63201 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 63201 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 63201 in Canada?
Classification
Where it sits in NOC 2021
- 6Sales and service occupationsBroad Category
- 63Occupations in sales and servicesMajor Group
- 632Occupations in servicesSub-major Group
- 6320Cooks, butchers and bakersMinor Group
- 63201Butchers - retail and wholesale
Enquiry
Is NOC 63201 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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