NOC 72500: Crane operators
What crane operators do
Crane operators operate cranes or draglines to lift, move, position or place machinery, equipment and other large objects at construction or industrial sites, ports, railway yards, surface mines and other similar locations. They are employed by construction, industrial, mining, cargo handling and railway companies. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Operate mobile and tower cranes to lift, move, position or place equipment and materials
- Perform pre-operational inspection, and calculate crane capacities and weight to prepare for rigging and hoisting
- Operate pile driving cranes to drive pilings into earth to provide support for buildings and other structures
- Operate cranes equipped with dredging attachments to dredge waterways and other areas
- Operate gantry cranes to load and unload ship cargo at port side
- Operate locomotive cranes to move objects and materials at railway yards
- Operate bridge or overhead cranes to lift, move and place plant machinery and materials
- Operate offshore oil rig cranes to unload and reload supply vessels
- Operate cranes mounted on boats or barges to lift, move and place equipment and materials
- Operate dragline cranes to expose coal seams and ore deposits at open pit mines
- May assemble tower cranes on site
- Perform routine maintenance work such as cleaning and lubricating cranes.
Job titles under NOC 72500
47 job titles are classified here, including boom truck crane operator, bridge crane operator, climbing crane operator.
- apprentice mobile crane operator
- boat crane operator
- boom crane operator
- boom truck crane operator
- boom truck hoist operator
- bridge crane operator
- cantilever crane operator
- cinder crane operator
- climbing crane operator
- construction crane operator
- crane and hoisting equipment operator
- crane hoist operator
- crane operator
- crane operator apprentice
- crawler crane operator
- demolition crane operator
- dragline crane operator
- drilling rig crane operator
- electric crane operator
- electric dragline operator
- electric gantry crane operator
- electric monorail crane operator
- floating crane operator
- gantry crane operator
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a one- to three-year apprenticeship program or Industry courses in crane operating are usually required.
- Mobile crane operator trade certification, for specified types of cranes, is compulsory in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the Northwest Territories.
- Tower crane operator trade certification is compulsory in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and available, but voluntary, in Prince Edward Island.
- Hoist operator trade certification, for specified types of cranes, is compulsory in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and is available, but voluntary, in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Mobile crane operators may require a provincial licence to drive mobile cranes on public roads.
- Internal company certification as a crane operator may be required by some employers.
- Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified mobile crane and tower crane operators upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.
Crane operators 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 | $26.50/hr | $42.77/hr | $52.19/hr |
Toronto ON | $23.15/hr | $41.22/hr | $55.94/hr |
Montréal QC | $24.50/hr | $43.00/hr | $47.07/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $26.00/hr | $38.00/hr | $53.17/hr |
Calgary AB | $26.00/hr | $42.60/hr | $54.30/hr |
Edmonton AB | $29.00/hr | $45.27/hr | $51.25/hr |
Ottawa ON | $25.00/hr | $37.75/hr | $51.00/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $30.11/hr | $43.01/hr | $47.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $25.00/hr | $33.84/hr | $52.16/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $24.50/hr | $40.48/hr | $53.94/hr |
London ON | $23.16/hr | $40.74/hr | $53.19/hr |
Halifax NS | $25.00/hr | $41.20/hr | $50.00/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $28.00/hr | $47.16/hr | $56.60/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $26.00/hr | $39.63/hr | $52.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $25.00/hr | $41.20/hr | $50.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $23.81/hr | $35.00/hr | $50.60/hr |
Quebec | $30.11/hr | $43.01/hr | $47.00/hr |
Ontario | $24.50/hr | $40.48/hr | $53.94/hr |
Saskatchewan | $27.00/hr | $44.31/hr | $53.76/hr |
Alberta | $29.70/hr | $45.00/hr | $51.68/hr |
British Columbia | $27.00/hr | $43.00/hr | $55.00/hr |
Using NOC 72500 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 47 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews (NOC 72021)
- Heavy equipment operators (NOC 73400)
- Underground production and development miners (NOC 83100)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for crane operators?
Crane operators are NOC 2021 unit group 72500. Example job titles in this group include boom truck crane operator, bridge crane operator, climbing crane operator, construction crane operator.
What TEER is NOC 72500?
NOC 72500 is TEER 2 (College diploma or apprenticeship (2+ years)). Usually requires a 2–3 year college program or a 2–5 year apprenticeship, or the occupation carries supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. 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 crane operators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $42.77/hr, about $83,000 a year full-time, with a range of $26.50/hr to $52.19/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.