National Occupational Classification, TEER 2
NOC 72106: Welders and related machine operators
Welders operate welding equipment to weld ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Below are the main duties, all 119 job titles it covers, what it means for Express Entry and what it pays in each province.
Updated
- Official NOC 2021 data
- Job Bank wages
What is NOC 72106?
NOC 72106 is the code for welders and related machine operators in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Job titles in this group include aviation welding technician, brazing machine operator, brazing machine setter and electric arc welder. It is a TEER 2 occupation (usually a college diploma, an apprenticeship of 2 or more years, or a supervisory role), so it counts as skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, and IRCC lists it for the trades category draw. The Job Bank median wage across Canada is $30.00 an hour.
- NOC code
- 72106
- TEER
- 2: College diploma or apprenticeship of 2+ years
- Broad category
- Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
- Express Entry
- Skilled (TEER 0 to 3)
- Category draws
- Trades
- Median wage
- $30.00 an hour
Job titles under NOC 72106
Welders operate welding equipment to weld ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This unit group also includes machine operators who operate previously set up production welding, brazing and soldering equipment. They are employed by companies that manufacture structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft and ships and other metal products, and by welding contractors and welding shops, or they may be self-employed. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.
Main job titles
- aviation welding technician
- brazing machine operator
- brazing machine setter
- electric arc welder
- journeyman/woman welder
- laser welding operator
- pressure vessel welder
- production welder
- soldering machine operator
- spot welder
- submerged arc welder
- welder
- welder apprentice
- welder-fitter
All 119 job titles in the NOC index
acetylene welder, aircraft welder, apprentice welder, arc welder, arc welder - pipeline, assembler tack welder, auto body solderer, automated welding machine operator - flash butt process, automatic welding machine operator, aviation welding technician, battery lead burner, battery lead-burner operator, blowtorch operator, blowtorch welder, boiler welder, brazer, brazer and hammerer, brazing machine operator, brazing machine setter, cable welder, combination welder, dielectric welder, downhand welder - pipeline, drilling platform welder, drilling rig welder, electric arc welder, electric spot welder, electric spot welder operator, electric spot-welding machine operator, fabrication welder, fit-up welder, flame-brazing machine operator, flame-brazing machine setter, flash butt welder, furnace brazer, furnace solderer, gas and arc welder, gas brazer, gas welder, gas-shielded arc welder, gas-shielded arc welding machine operator, general welder, hand arc welder, hand electric arc welder, hand resistance welder, heliarc welder, hot gas welder, hydrogen braze furnace man/woman, hydrogen braze furnace operator, induction brazer operator, induction solderer, industrial welder, iron brazer, jig welder-fitter, journeyman/woman welder, laser beam machine-welder operator, laser beam welder, laser beam welding machine operator, laser welding operator, lead burner, lead welder, machine operator - welding, brazing and soldering, machine type solderer, machine welder, maintenance welder, mesh-welding machine operator, metal brazier and heater, metal inert gas (MIG) welder, metal solderer, metal straightener and heater, metal welder, oxyacetylene torch welder, oxyacetylene welder, oxyhydrogen welder, pipeline welder, portable spot welder, precision welder, pressure vessel welder, production induction brazier, production line solderer, production line spot welder, production line welder, production spot welder, production welder, radio-frequency welder, resistance brazer, resistance seam welder, resistance welder, resistance welder tender, resistance welder-setter, resistance welding machine setter, resistance welding set-up man/woman, rig welder, shielded-metal arc welder, side seaming tender, solderer, solderer-dipper, soldering machine operator, spot resistance welder, spot welder, submerged arc welder, submerged arc welding machine operator, tack welder, thermite welder, tool and die welder, torch brazer, torch brazing machine setter, torch welder, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welder, type-soldering machine tender, vibration welder, welder, welder apprentice, welder operator, welder-assembler, welder-fitter, welding lay-out man/woman, welding machine operator, wire welder.
Main duties of NOC 72106
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Welders
- Read and interpret blueprints or welding process specifications
- Operate manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments using processes such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), oxy-acetylene welding (OAW), resistance welding and submerged arc welding (SAW)
- Operate manual or semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment
- Operate brazing and soldering equipment
- Operate metal shaping machines such as brakes, shears and other metal straightening and bending machines
- Repair worn parts of metal products by welding on extra layers.
- Welders may specialize in certain types of welding such as custom fabrication, ship building and repair, aerospace precision welding, pressure vessel welding, pipeline construction welding, structural construction welding, or machinery and equipment repair welding.
- Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators
- Operate previously set up welding machines such as spot, butt and seam resistance or gas and arc welding machines to fabricate or repair metal parts
- Operate previously set up brazing or soldering machines to bond metal parts or to fill holes, indentations and seams of metal articles with solder
- Start up, shut down, adjust and monitor robotic welding production line
- Assist with the maintenance and repair of welding, brazing and soldering equipment
- May adjust welding heads and tooling according to work specifications.
Employment requirements
- Welders
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a three-year apprenticeship program or A combination of over three years of work experience in the trade and some college or industry courses in welding is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
- Trade certification is compulsory in Alberta and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the territories.
- Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified welders upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.
- Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators
- Some secondary school education is required.
- Several months of on-the-job training are usually provided.
- Experience as a machine operator helper may be required.
- Experience with robotics may be required.
Additional information
- The Red Seal endorsement allows for interprovincial mobility.
- Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.
Is NOC 72106 eligible for Express Entry?
Yes for the programs that need skilled work: TEER 2 is in the TEER 0 to 3 range IRCC accepts.
| Program or draw | NOC 72106 |
|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | Counts as skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) |
| Canadian Experience Class | Counts as skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | A listed skilled trade |
| Trade occupations (category draw) | On the eligible list |
| French-language proficiency (category draw) | Open to any occupation with NCLC 7 in French |
Read how TEER categories work and the full list of NOC codes in each 2026 category draw. Category draws also need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in one listed occupation within the past 3 years.
How much does NOC 72106 pay?
Job Bank wages for this occupation, per hour. Low and high are, in most cases, the 10th and 90th percentiles, so 8 in 10 workers earn somewhere between them.
| Area | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $22.00 | $30.00 | $47.00 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $23.46 | $38.41 | $54.00 |
| Prince Edward Island | $20.00 | $25.00 | $32.50 |
| Nova Scotia | $21.00 | $29.00 | $43.00 |
| New Brunswick | $22.00 | $28.00 | $46.00 |
| Quebec | $22.00 | $28.00 | $35.38 |
| Ontario | $21.00 | $28.00 | $41.28 |
| Manitoba | $21.00 | $27.00 | $40.16 |
| Saskatchewan | $22.00 | $32.00 | $46.00 |
| Alberta | $25.00 | $38.00 | $52.18 |
| British Columbia | $23.25 | $35.00 | $51.87 |
| Yukon | $30.96 | $37.47 | $49.71 |
| Northwest Territories | $22.48 | $48.29 | $57.68 |
Source: Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025), data from 2023-2024 (Labour Force Survey). Wages for job offers in LMIA and provincial programs are compared with these figures, so check the current numbers on Job Bank before you rely on them.
Using NOC 72106 duties on your resume
Canadian resumes do not list NOC codes. Employers read your job titles, what you did and what came of it. The NOC duties are still a useful checklist: if you did these tasks, say so in your own words and add the numbers that prove it.
For Express Entry, the reference letter from your employer should describe the duties you really performed, in line with this lead statement and most of the main duties, without copying the NOC text word for word. The free reference letter generator checks your duties against NOC 72106 as you write.
- Start each bullet with a strong verb and end it with a result: how many, how often, how fast.
- Use the job title your employer used, even if the NOC title is different.
- Keep immigration details such as your NOC code and permit type off the resume.
- See a Canadian resume example for this job.
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Where this information comes from
Occupation codes, titles and descriptions are adapted from Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Wages come from Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Express Entry rules come from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): the program pages for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the category-based selection page as modified on June 22, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for welder?
NOC 72106, Welders and related machine operators, a TEER 2 occupation.
What TEER is NOC 72106?
TEER 2. Usually a college diploma, an apprenticeship of 2 or more years, or a supervisory role. The TEER is the second digit of the code. See all TEER categories.
Is NOC 72106 eligible for Express Entry?
Yes. As a TEER 2 occupation it counts as skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, and it is also a listed Federal Skilled Trades occupation. You still have to meet every other requirement, and your duties must match the NOC description.
Is NOC 72106 in an Express Entry category-based draw?
Yes. IRCC’s 2026 list puts it in the trades category. You need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same part-time) in it within the past 3 years.
How much does NOC 72106 pay in Canada?
The Job Bank median across Canada is $30.00 an hour, with most wages between $22.00 and $47.00. Pay varies by province: see the table above.
Where is the official description?
On the Statistics Canada and ESDC NOC site: search 72106 in NOC 2021 Version 1.0. This page shows the same text, from the open data Statistics Canada publishes.
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More on NOC codes and Canadian resumes
- NOC Code Finder: Describe your duties and get your NOC 2021 code, TEER and Express Entry eligibility. Free.
- NOC Codes Canada: Full List: All 516 NOC 2021 codes with their TEER, duties and wages.
- TEER Categories Explained: What TEER 0 to 5 means, which count for Express Entry, and every job in each one.
- Express Entry Category Draws: NOC Codes: Every NOC code on the 2026 healthcare, STEM, trades, education and other lists.
- Canadian Resume Examples by Job: Real examples for cashiers, caregivers, trades, tech, students and more.
- Newcomer Resume Guide: Turn international experience into a resume Canadian employers understand.