NOC 63201: Butchers - retail and wholesale

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.

Express Entry eligibility

• Skilled work (TEER 0 to 3): yes, TEER 3.
• Canadian Experience Class: counts as skilled Canadian work (1 year in the last 3 years).
• Federal Skilled Worker Program: counts as skilled work (1 year of continuous work in the last 10 years).
• Federal Skilled Trades Program: an eligible skilled trade (2 years in the last 5 years).
• High-wage occupation (from November 3, 2026): no. No high-wage add-on, and a job offer in it earns no CRS points.

TEER 3: Occupations that usually need a college diploma, an apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than 6 months of on-the-job training. Every program has other requirements too, such as language test results and, for FSW, a points test.

Category-based draws

• Trade occupations

  At least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in this occupation within the last 3 years, in Canada or abroad.

Category lists checked on canada.ca on 2026-10-17. IRCC category-based selection

CRS points for work in NOC 63201

Skilled Canadian work in this occupation earns the standard points, the same before and after November 3, 2026, with no high-wage add-on:

See Canadian work points and the median-wage rule.

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 duties must match the lead statement and most of the main duties above.

Example job titles

• butcher - butcher shop
• butcher apprentice
• head butcher - wholesale
• retail butcher

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.

Similar jobs with a different code

• 94142Fish cutter - fish processing
• 94141Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
• 65202Meat cutter - retail or wholesale
• 60020Meat department manager - retail
• 64100Seafood sales clerk