NOC 85101: Harvesting labourers
What harvesting labourers do
Harvesting labourers and related workers assist other farm workers to plant, harvest, sort and pack crops. They participate in soil preparation, irrigation and crop planting, spraying and thinning. They are employed on fruit, vegetable and specialty crop farms.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Prepare and irrigate soil
- Plant, fertilize, thin and harvest crops
- Pick row and orchard crops
- Sort, weigh and pack fruit and vegetables at the farm
- Load, unload and transfer crates, supplies, farm produce and products for transport
- Clean up racks, trays, and harvest bins and general clean-up of growing, producing and packing areas
- Assist with general farm maintenance and maintenance of equipment and tools
- May assist in preparing garden beds for planting
- May write daily progress reports of inventory harvested.
Job titles under NOC 85101
60 job titles are classified here, including apple picker, berry picker, crop farm labourer - harvesting.
- apple picker
- berry picker
- crop farm labourer - harvesting
- cucumber picker
- farm hand - harvesting
- farm labourer - harvesting
- farm worker - harvesting
- field and vegetable crop labourer
- field-grown crop farm labourer - harvesting
- fruit examiner - harvesting
- fruit farm labourer
- fruit farm worker
- fruit harvest worker
- fruit harvester
- fruit harvesting labourer
- fruit or vegetable picker
- fruit packer - farm
- fruit picker
- fruit sorter - farm
- fruit tree pruner
- fruit tree thinner
- general farm worker - harvesting
- grafter - orchard
- grain farm labourer
Employment requirements
- There are no specific education or training requirements.
Harvesting labourers 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 | $16.00/hr | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $18.00/hr | $21.63/hr |
Montréal QC | $16.10/hr | $16.50/hr | $20.00/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $17.85/hr | $17.85/hr | $18.00/hr |
Calgary AB | $15.65/hr | $17.40/hr | $25.00/hr |
Edmonton AB | $16.00/hr | $17.42/hr | $26.00/hr |
Ottawa ON | $17.60/hr | $20.00/hr | $26.50/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $16.10/hr | $19.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $17.60/hr | $17.60/hr | $20.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $17.60/hr | $18.00/hr | $24.00/hr |
London ON | $17.60/hr | $18.00/hr | $22.56/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $17.85/hr | $20.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $17.40/hr | $25.00/hr | $34.00/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $31.00/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00/hr | $17.00/hr | $21.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $16.50/hr | $17.20/hr | $21.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $15.75/hr | $18.28/hr | $23.00/hr |
Quebec | $16.10/hr | $19.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Ontario | $17.60/hr | $17.71/hr | $22.50/hr |
Manitoba | $17.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $29.78/hr |
Saskatchewan | $20.00/hr | $26.00/hr | $33.00/hr |
Alberta | $16.00/hr | $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr |
British Columbia | $17.85/hr | $17.85/hr | $20.00/hr |
Using NOC 85101 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 60 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors (NOC 82030)
- Managers in agriculture (NOC 80020)
- Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators (NOC 84120)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for harvesting labourers?
Harvesting labourers are NOC 2021 unit group 85101. Example job titles in this group include apple picker, berry picker, crop farm labourer - harvesting, fruit picker.
What TEER is NOC 85101?
NOC 85101 is TEER 5 (Short work demonstration). Usually requires a short work demonstration and no formal education. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do harvesting labourers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $18.00/hr, about $35,000 a year full-time, with a range of $16.00/hr to $25.00/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.