NOC 94141: Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
What industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers do
Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers prepare meat and poultry for further processing or for packaging for wholesale distribution. They are employed in meat and poultry slaughtering, processing and packing establishments.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Industrial butchers
- Slaughter livestock using stunning devices and knives
- Skin, clean and trim carcasses
- Remove viscera and other inedible parts from carcasses
- Split carcasses into smaller portions to facilitate handling
- May slaughter cattle, calves and sheep as prescribed by religious laws.
- Industrial meat cutters
- Cut beef, lamb, pork or veal carcasses or sides or quarters of carcasses into primal cuts for further cutting, processing or packaging
- Remove bones from meat
- Cut meat and poultry into specific cuts for institutional, commercial or other wholesale use
- Remove skin, excess fat, bruises or other blemishes from carcasses or meat portions.
- Poultry preparers
- Slaughter poultry and remove inedible parts
- Remove feathers and singe and wash poultry to prepare for further processing or packaging.
Job titles under NOC 94141
56 job titles are classified here, including beef boner, ham cutter, industrial butcher.
- air knife meat cutter - meat packing plant
- animal eviscerator - meat packing plant
- animal skinner - meat packing plant
- animal sticker - meat packing plant
- animal stunner
- beef boner
- beef boner - meat packing plant
- beef cooler worker - meat packing plant
- beef sticker - meat packing plant
- beef trimmer - meat packing plant
- beef-pluck trimmer
- benchman/woman - meat packing plant
- brisket cutter - meat packing plant
- calf skinner - meat packing plant
- carcass splitter - meat packing plant
- chicken plucker
- chuck cap puller - meat packing plant
- cutter - meat packing plant
- dehairing machine dropper - meat packing plant
- enzyme injector - food and beverage processing
- ham cutter
- ham sawyer - meat packing plant
- head boner - meat packing plant
- hog killer
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school may be required.
- For industrial meat cutters, completion of a program in industrial meat cutting or Experience as an industrial butcher is required.
- On-the-job training is provided for industrial butchers, meat cutters and poultry preparers.
Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers 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 | $18.00/hr | $23.00/hr | $26.15/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $21.60/hr | $25.00/hr |
Montréal QC | $18.31/hr | $23.16/hr | $27.23/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $19.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $28.00/hr |
Calgary AB | $20.97/hr | $25.80/hr | $32.65/hr |
Edmonton AB | $19.31/hr | $23.69/hr | $26.50/hr |
Ottawa ON | $19.60/hr | $23.09/hr | $27.03/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.15/hr | $20.00/hr | $22.10/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $20.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $26.80/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $18.70/hr | $22.50/hr | $26.15/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $20.00/hr | $22.50/hr | $26.80/hr |
London ON | $18.00/hr | $23.70/hr | $27.52/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $19.32/hr | $23.03/hr | $27.70/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $15.35/hr | $20.00/hr | $21.00/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $16.19/hr | $20.41/hr | $23.88/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $18.59/hr | $20.49/hr | $23.27/hr |
Nova Scotia | $17.50/hr | $20.00/hr | $22.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $18.00/hr | $20.44/hr | $21.00/hr |
Quebec | $20.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $26.80/hr |
Ontario | $18.70/hr | $22.50/hr | $26.15/hr |
Manitoba | $17.00/hr | $20.00/hr | $23.20/hr |
Saskatchewan | $15.35/hr | $19.00/hr | $24.00/hr |
Alberta | $18.00/hr | $23.00/hr | $26.00/hr |
British Columbia | $19.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $28.00/hr |
Using NOC 94141 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 56 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Butchers - retail and wholesale (NOC 63201)
- Labourers in food and beverage processing (NOC 95106)
- Meat grader (NOC 94143)
- Meat inspector (NOC 22111)
- Meat packing supervisor (NOC 92012)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers?
Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers are NOC 2021 unit group 94141. Example job titles in this group include beef boner, ham cutter, industrial butcher, industrial meat cutter.
What TEER is NOC 94141?
NOC 94141 is TEER 4 (High school and on-the-job training). Usually requires completion of secondary school, or several weeks of on-the-job training. 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 industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $23.00/hr, about $45,000 a year full-time, with a range of $18.00/hr to $26.15/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.