75212 Public works and maintenance labourers

What this occupation covers

Public works and maintenance labourers perform a variety of labouring activities to maintain sidewalks, streets, roads and similar areas. They are employed by public works departments in all levels of government or by private contractors under contract to governments.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 13 main duties for this code.

• Clean and maintain sidewalks, streets, roads and public grounds of municipality and other areas, working as member of crew
• Sweep debris and remove snow from streets, sidewalks, building grounds and other areas, and load snow and debris into carts or trucks
• Shovel cement and other materials into cement mixers, spread concrete and asphalt on road surfaces using shovels, rakes and hand tampers, and perform other activities to assist in maintenance and repair of roads
• Spread sand or salt on sidewalks for snow and ice control
• Dig ditches and trenches using shovels and other hand tools
• Operate jackhammers and drills to break up pavement
• Load and unload trucks with supplies and equipment
• Collect money from coin boxes of parking meters along established route
• Collect and load refuse on garbage trucks
• Assist equipment operators to secure attachments to equipment or trucks
• Assist in routine maintenance and repair of equipment
• Assist skilled tradespersons such as carpenters, plumbers and mechanics
• May operate mobile sidewalk-cleaning equipment.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 13 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 75110 Construction trades helpers and labourers
• 85121 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
• 74205 Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers
• 72021 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews

Excluded from this code

• Construction worker (See 75110 Construction trades helpers and labourers)
• Park maintenance labourer (See 85121 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers)
• Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers (See 74205 Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers)
• Public works maintenance equipment operators supervisor (See 72021 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

casual worker - public works · dumpman/woman · garbage collector · garbage receptacle maintainer · garbage truck loader · general labourer - public works · helper - garbage collection · highway line painter · labourer - sanitary service · labourer crew leader - public works · line-painting machine operator - highways and roads · maintenance labourer - public works · manual sewer pipe cleaner · manual sidewalk cleaner · manual street cleaner · manual street sweeper · municipal elemental worker · municipal general labourer · municipal labourer · parking meter collector · playground maintenance man/woman · public works labourer · road maintenance worker · road maintenance worker - public works

Employment requirements

• Several weeks of on-the-job training are provided.