NOC 72500 job description: crane operator duties and responsibilities
- 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
See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 2 jobs.
Is NOC 72500 eligible for Express Entry?
By TEER, yes. TEER 2 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept, and NOC 72500 is also on the Federal Skilled Trades list. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
| Program | TEER check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker | TEER qualifies | TEER 2 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Canadian Experience Class | TEER qualifies | TEER 2 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Federal Skilled Trades | Listed trade | NOC 72500 is in a trade group IRCC accepts. Check IRCC |
| Spouse's open work permit | Qualifies | On IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules |
Category-based draws: NOC 72500 is not on any category-based selection list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 2 was skill level B ("NOC B").
Category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists. Check the current lists on IRCC's Express Entry page and provincial nominee page.
NOC 72500: common questions
What is NOC 72500?
NOC 72500 is the code for crane operators in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 7, is the broad category and its second digit, 2, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.
What TEER is NOC 72500?
NOC 72500 is TEER 2. Occupations that usually need a college program of two to three years or an apprenticeship of two to five years, or that carry supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 2 lines up with skill level B.
Is NOC 72500 eligible for Express Entry and PR?
By TEER, yes. TEER 2 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept, and NOC 72500 is also on the Federal Skilled Trades list. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
Is NOC 72500 in a category-based Express Entry draw?
No. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 72500 is not in any category-based selection list (healthcare, STEM, trades, education, transport and others). You can still be invited in general and program-specific draws.
Is NOC 72500 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?
Yes. NOC 72500 is on IRCC's list of TEER 2 occupations that qualify, so a worker in this job can support a spouse's open work permit, as long as their own work permit has at least 16 months left when the spouse applies (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).
What is the NOC code for a crane operator?
Crane operator is listed under NOC 72500, crane operators. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 72500.
How do I know if NOC 72500 is my NOC code?
Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 72500, not just your job title. IRCC expects your duties to match the lead statement and most of the main duties of the code you choose. If they fit another code better, use that one. You can paste your duties into nocfinder to see how they line up, duty by duty.
Source: ESDC NOC 2021 · IRCC program pages. Not legal advice.