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Funeral Home Attendant
In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.
The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.
Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.
2006 NOC
2006 NOC-S
2011 NOC
2016 NOC
2021 NOC
2023 OaSIS
Funeral attendants assist funeral directors. They may arrange for the transfer of human remains from the place of death to the funeral home. They may place the casket in the visitation room or chapel before a prayer or funeral service. They also may:
If there is a crematorium on the premises, funeral attendants may perform cremations. They also may process and package cremated remains.
Funeral attendants work both indoors and outdoors. Working hours may be on a part-time or on-call basis. Evening, weekend, and holiday work is often required. Funeral attendants may participate in transferring human remains into care requiring heavy lifting and use of stretchers. Remains may have to be transferred into care at any hour.
Heavy lifting of over 50 kg is required.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2006 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
Interest in driving hearses and other vehicles
Interest in comparing to clean funeral parlours and chapels, and to arrange lights and floral displays
Interest in assisting to escort mourners; and in acting as pallbearers
To identify or change your interest codes, complete the Interests Exercise in CAREERinsite.
The interest code helps you figure out if you’d like to work in a particular occupation.
It’s based on the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI), which measures 5 occupational interests: Directive, Innovative, Methodical, Objective, and Social.
Each set of 3 interest codes for this NOC group is listed in order of importance.
A code in capital letters means it’s a strong fit for the occupation.
A code in all lowercase letters means the fit is weaker.
To fill in or change the values for your abilities, complete the Abilities Exercise in CAREERinsite.
A Quick Guide
You are born with abilities that help you process certain types of information and turn it into action. These abilities influence which skills you can learn more easily.
The abilities or aptitudes shown for this NOC group come from the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). The GATB measures 9 aptitudes. It groups them into 3 categories: mental, visual, and physical.
The abilities scores range from 1 to 5, with 5 being stronger.
Funeral attendants need:
They should enjoy helping people and being methodical in their work.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
This chart shows which job skills are currently in highest demand for this occupational group. It was created using this occupation's 94 most recent Alberta job postings, collected between Nov 02, 2021 and Jul 15, 2024.
Review these skills to learn:
| Tasks: Maintain work areas | 64 |
|---|---|
| Construction Specialization: Reliability | 58 |
| Construction Specialization: Flexibility | 54 |
| Construction Specialization: Team player | 53 |
| Construction Specialization: Client focus | 48 |
| Tasks: Deal with public | 44 |
| Construction Specialization: Effective interpersonal skills | 43 |
| Attention to detail | 30 |
| Tasks: Assist clients/guests with special needs | 29 |
| Construction Specialization: Excellent oral communication | 28 |
Funeral attendants are trained on the job. This position may be filled by those individuals who are already working toward their professional license, or by those who enjoy the work but do not intend to pursue licensing. Those who wish to become licensed funeral directors or embalmers should enrol in a training program. Some training programs may require a high school diploma.
A non-graduated class 5 driver’s license will be required by most funeral homes.
The following schools offer programs or courses that are related to this occupation but are not required to enter the field.
To expand or narrow your search for programs related to this occupation, visit Post-Secondary Programs.
Completing a program does not guarantee entrance into an occupation. Before enrolling in an education program, prospective students should look into various sources for education options and employment possibilities. For example, contact associations and employers in this field.
There is currently no provincial legislation regulating this occupation in Alberta.
Source: 2021-2025 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook
Funeral attendants work in funeral homes. They may advance to clerical or administrative positions. Only licensed embalmers and students enrolled in an embalming education program may work in an embalming room.
This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
In the 6742: Other service support occupations, n.e.c. occupational group, 75.9% of people work in:
Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:
In Alberta, the 6742: Other service support occupations, n.e.c. occupational group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 2.5% from 2021 to 2025. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 40 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.
Note
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For example, only some of the new positions to be created will be for this occupation. It also applies to other data for the NOC group such as number of people employed.
Source: 2021-2025 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook
Salaries for funeral attendants average $33,319 a year (2022 estimate).
As of June 26, 2019, the minimum wage in Alberta is $15.00 per hour for most workers. For more information, see Minimum Wage.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
Unless otherwise noted, the data shown here is for all industries and all regions in Alberta.
All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production), and other forms of compensation.
To see the full survey data for this NOC group, visit the wage profile.
Other wage sources
To make an informed wage and salary decision, research other wage sources [pdf] to supplement this data.
High Reliability, represents a CV of less than or equal to 6.00% and 30 survey observations and/or represents 50% or more of all estimated employment for the occupation.
| Wages* | Low (5th percentile) | High (95th percentile) | Average | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting | $15.00 | $25.96 | $17.56 | $16.35 |
| Overall | $15.00 | $28.85 | $20.08 | $18.00 |
| Top | $16.00 | $32.05 | $22.81 | $22.00 |
Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.
* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.
Pay brackets for hourly wages
| ALL INDUSTRIES | $33,319 |
|---|---|
| Retail Trade | $34,883 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | $30,161 |
| Information, Culture, Recreation | $17,230 |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Leasing | $32,896 |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | $26,250 |
| Other Services (Repair, Personal Services and Related) | $28,475 |
Alberta Funeral Service Association (AFSA) website: www.afsa.ca
Alberta Funeral Services Regulatory Board (AFSRB) website: afsrb.ab.ca
Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.
Updated Mar 22, 2023. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.
