NOC 33101: Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
What medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations do
Medical laboratory assistants and workers in related technical occupations perform pre-analysis and pre-testing tasks such as collecting blood and other samples, processing specimens, and preparing special chemicals called reagents for use in testing. They conduct routine medical laboratory tests and set up, clean and maintain medical laboratory equipment. They are employed in medical laboratories in hospitals, clinics, research facilities, post-secondary educational institutions and government research laboratories.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Collect, label, sort and prepare blood, tissue and other samples from patients
- Log and validate patient samples and prepare them for testing
- Set up medical laboratory equipment
- Prepare chemical reagents to be combined with biological samples for testing
- Conduct routine laboratory tests and sample analyses
- Perform quality assurance of testing techniques and record results
- Clean and maintain medical laboratory and medical laboratory equipment.
Job titles under NOC 33101
14 job titles are classified here, including medical laboratory aide, medical laboratory assistant, medical laboratory technician.
- blood bank technician
- clinical laboratory technician
- community health technician - medical laboratory
- histology technician
- laboratory assistant - medical
- medical laboratory aide
- medical laboratory assistant
- medical laboratory helper
- medical laboratory technical assistant
- medical laboratory technician
- phlebotomist
- phlebotomy aide
- renal technician
- technical assistant - medical laboratory
Employment requirements
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical workers require completion of a college certificate program in medical laboratory science.
- Certification by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science is usually required by employers.
Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $19.18/hr | $27.00/hr | $36.11/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $25.00/hr | $36.25/hr |
Montréal QC | $22.09/hr | $29.54/hr | $34.22/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $17.95/hr | $27.00/hr | $38.30/hr |
Calgary AB | $23.16/hr | $29.07/hr | $35.53/hr |
Edmonton AB | $25.00/hr | $28.62/hr | $40.00/hr |
Ottawa ON | $21.50/hr | $26.89/hr | $37.00/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.00/hr | $26.00/hr | $37.95/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $21.55/hr | $29.02/hr | $37.03/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $19.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $46.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $18.00/hr | $25.83/hr | $32.00/hr |
London ON | $22.50/hr | $28.14/hr | $34.57/hr |
Halifax NS | $23.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $26.50/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $27.00/hr | $28.42/hr | $29.65/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $22.89/hr | $24.50/hr | $39.22/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $21.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $36.00/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $21.00/hr | $26.50/hr | $33.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $20.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $33.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $23.00/hr | $25.20/hr | $34.00/hr |
Quebec | $21.55/hr | $29.02/hr | $37.03/hr |
Ontario | $17.62/hr | $26.25/hr | $36.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $26.00/hr | $37.95/hr |
Saskatchewan | $22.00/hr | $25.75/hr | $39.22/hr |
Alberta | $23.72/hr | $28.62/hr | $35.54/hr |
British Columbia | $20.50/hr | $28.00/hr | $31.00/hr |
Using NOC 33101 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 14 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Biological technologists and technicians (NOC 22110)
- Chemical technologists and technicians (NOC 22100)
- Medical laboratory technologists (NOC 32120)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations?
Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations are NOC 2021 unit group 33101. Example job titles in this group include medical laboratory aide, medical laboratory assistant, medical laboratory technician, phlebotomist.
What TEER is NOC 33101?
NOC 33101 is TEER 3 (College or apprenticeship (under 2 years)). Usually requires a college program or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $27.00/hr, about $53,000 a year full-time, with a range of $19.18/hr to $36.11/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.