NOC 73102: Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers

Plasterers apply finish, and maintain and restore plaster or similar materials, on interior and exterior walls, ceilings and building partitions to produce plain or decorative surfaces. Drywall installers and finishers install and finish drywall sheets and various types of ceiling systems. Lathers install support framework for ceiling systems, interior and exterior walls and building partitions. They are employed by construction companies and by plastering, drywalling and lathing contractors, or they may be self-employed. 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

NOC 73102 is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists. You can still be invited in general, Canadian Experience Class or other program draws.

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

CRS points for work in NOC 73102

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:

• Plasterers
• Clean and prepare surfaces
• Mix plaster ingredients in trough to desired consistency
• Apply, level and smooth coats of plaster using trowels, floats, brushes and spraying equipment
• Trowel or spray coats of stucco over exteriors of buildings to form weatherproof surfaces
• Finish corners and angles and create decorative designs in finish coat, if required
• Cure freshly plastered surfaces
• Mould and install ornamental plaster panels, cornices and trim
• Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls and ceilings.
• Drywall installers and finishers
• Measure, cut and fit drywall sheets for installation on walls and ceilings
• Position and secure sheets to metal or wooden studs or joists
• Cut and install metal corner beads to protect exterior corners
• Fill joints, nail indentations, holes and cracks with joint compound using trowel and broad knife
• Tape over joints using taping machine and embed tape in compound
• Smooth out excess compound and allow coat to dry
• Apply successive coats of compound and sand seams and joints
• Fabricate and install suspended metal ceiling grids and place in panels to form acoustical and coffered ceilings.
• Lathers
• Prepare wall and ceiling layouts
• Install metal stud framing and furring for interior drywall or plaster walls and ceilings, using hand and power tools
• Attach metal or gypsum lath to studs or furring using nails, screws, clips or wire ties
• Cut openings in lath for heating and ventilation piping, ducts and electrical outlets
• Install corner beads and wire mesh around beams to which plaster is to be applied
• May install acoustic tile, hangers for suspended ceilings and metal studs for composition wallboard or lath.

For Express Entry your duties must match the lead statement and most of the main duties above.

Example job titles

• acoustical ceiling installer
• ceiling installer
• drywall applicator
• drywall finisher
• drywall installer and finisher apprentice
• drywall taper
• lather
• lather (interior systems mechanic)
• lather apprentice
• plasterer
• plasterer apprentice
• sheetrock applicator
• wood lather

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of a three- or four-year apprenticeship program in plastering, drywalling or lathing or A combination of over three years of work experience and some high school, college or industry courses in plastering, drywalling or lathing is usually required.
• Plasterer trade certification is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
• Drywall installer and finisher trade certification is available, but voluntary, in British Columbia.
• Trade certification for lathers (interior systems mechanics) is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the Yukon.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified lathers (interior systems mechanic) upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.

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