NOC 2021 · 72501 · TEER 2
NOC 72501: Water well drillers
Official NOC 2021, Job Bank and IRCC data · checked 21 October 2026
Water well drillers operate a variety of mobile water well drilling rigs and equipment to drill and monitor residential, commercial and industrial water wells. They are employed by water well drilling contractors and governments, or they may be self-employed. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
TEER
TEER 2
Usually needs a college diploma, an apprenticeship of 2 or more years, or supervisory work
Median wage (Canada)
$30.00 / 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 72501 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 72501 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:
- Review client requirements and proposed locations for water wells
- Operate water well drilling rigs and other equipment to drill, bore and dig for residential, commercial and industrial water wells or environmental assessment, and install well screens, casings and other well fixtures
- Document geological formations encountered
- Clean and disinfect wells in preparation for use
- Perform routine mechanical maintenance work on water well drilling rigs and equipment
- Install, test, maintain and repair water well pumps, piping systems and equipment and perform pumping tests to assess well performance
- May provide other drilling services, such as repair or dismantling of existing water well structure, elevator shaft drilling and hydro pole drilling.
- Water well drillers may specialize in a specific method of drilling, such as cable, rotary, auger, hammer or reverse circulation drilling.
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
- cable tool driller - water well drilling
- churn drill operator - water well drilling
- water well driller
- water well driller apprentice
All 8 job titles in NOC 72501
- apprentice water well driller
- cable tool driller - water well drilling
- churn drill operator - water well drilling
- journeyman/woman water well driller
- water well driller
- water well driller apprentice
- water well driller journeyman/woman
- water well drilling technician
Requirements
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a two- to three-year water well drilling apprenticeship program or Two to three years of work experience in the trade combined with college or industry courses in water well drilling is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
- Trade certification is available, but voluntary, in New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Additional information
- Mobility is possible among the various well drilling operators in this unit group.
- Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.
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 72501 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 | $21.60 | $30.00 | $41.92 | Employment Insurance Survey Data, 2023-2024 |
| Quebec | $24.00 | $30.33 | $41.86 | Employment Insurance Survey Data, 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 Ontario.
GoodOntario
The employment outlook will be Good for water well drillers (NOC 72501) in Ontario for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
Not many 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 water well drillers in Ontario:
Approximately 300 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Water well drillers mainly work in the following sectors:
Construction (NAICS 23): 82%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (NAICS 21): 9%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
Full-time workers: 91% compared to 81% for all occupations
Part-time workers: 9% compared to 19% for all occupations
75% of water well drillers work all year, while 25% 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 46 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
28% of water well drillers are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: more than 95% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: less than 5% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 15% compared to 9% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 32% compared to 25% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 30% compared to 8% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 18% compared to 22% for all occupations
bachelor's degree: 5% compared to 24% for all occupations
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations
ModerateQuebec
The employment outlook will be Moderate for water well drillers (NOC 72501) in Quebec for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
Not many 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 water well drillers in Quebec:
Approximately 50 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
Water well drillers mainly work in the following sectors:
Construction (NAICS 23): 76%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (NAICS 21): 24%
57% of water well drillers work all year, while 42% 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 43 weeks for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
Men: more than 95% compared to 52% for all occupations
Women: less than 5% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
no high school diploma: 31% compared to 12% for all occupations
high school diploma or equivalent: 31% compared to 19% for all occupations
apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 23% compared to 19% for all occupations
college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: n/a
bachelor's degree: n/a
university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
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.
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.
UndeterminedBritish Columbia
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 72501 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.
- 72021 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
- 83100 Underground production and development miners
- 73402 Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction
- 83101 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
Questions
NOC 72501: common questions
What is the NOC code for water well drillers?
What TEER category is NOC 72501?
Is NOC 72501 eligible for Express Entry?
Is NOC 72501 a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?
Is NOC 72501 eligible for category-based Express Entry draws?
What is the median wage for NOC 72501 in Canada?
Classification
Where it sits in NOC 2021
- 7Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupationsBroad Category
- 72Technical trades and transportation officers and controllersMajor Group
- 725Technical equipment operation tradesSub-major Group
- 7250Crane operators and water well drillersMinor Group
- 72501Water well drillers
Enquiry
Is NOC 72501 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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