NOC 63201: Butchers - retail and wholesale
What butchers - retail and wholesale do
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.
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.
Job titles under NOC 63201
13 job titles are classified here, including butcher - butcher shop, butcher apprentice, head butcher - wholesale.
- 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
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.
Butchers - retail and wholesale 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 | $15.25/hr | $20.00/hr | $28.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $23.00/hr | $29.00/hr |
Montréal QC | $16.10/hr | $20.00/hr | $26.00/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $19.27/hr | $23.69/hr | $30.09/hr |
Edmonton AB | $17.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $27.00/hr |
Ottawa ON | $17.60/hr | $20.00/hr | $26.00/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.00/hr | $17.00/hr | $23.00/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $16.10/hr | $20.00/hr | $26.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $17.60/hr | $21.75/hr | $29.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $18.63/hr | $21.39/hr | $25.12/hr |
London ON | $19.24/hr | $22.08/hr | $29.11/hr |
Halifax NS | $16.50/hr | $19.40/hr | $22.55/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $20.50/hr | $24.26/hr | $30.09/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $16.75/hr | $19.23/hr | $25.93/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Nova Scotia | $16.50/hr | $19.72/hr | $26.39/hr |
New Brunswick | $15.65/hr | $18.75/hr | $31.85/hr |
Quebec | $16.10/hr | $20.00/hr | $26.00/hr |
Ontario | $17.60/hr | $21.75/hr | $29.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $17.00/hr | $23.00/hr |
Saskatchewan | $16.85/hr | $19.16/hr | $27.39/hr |
Alberta | $17.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $27.00/hr |
British Columbia | $19.10/hr | $24.23/hr | $32.49/hr |
Using NOC 63201 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 13 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Fish cutter - fish processing (NOC 94142)
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (NOC 94141)
- Meat cutter - retail or wholesale (NOC 65202)
- Meat department manager - retail (NOC 60020)
- Seafood sales clerk (NOC 64100)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for butchers - retail and wholesale?
Butchers - retail and wholesale are NOC 2021 unit group 63201. Example job titles in this group include butcher - butcher shop, butcher apprentice, head butcher - wholesale, retail butcher.
What TEER is NOC 63201?
NOC 63201 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 butchers - retail and wholesale earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $20.00/hr, about $39,000 a year full-time, with a range of $15.25/hr to $28.00/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.