Blue-Collar vs. White-Collar: An Overview
Workers and jobs are often divided into categories using different classifications. One of the most common ways to classify them is with collar colors. Two of the most popular collar types are blue-collar and white-collar.
Both terms have meanings that evoke different images, including the type of work involved and how people are paid.
For instance, white-collar jobs can be found in office settings in clerical, administrative, management, and executive roles. People in these jobs normally earn an annual salary. On the other hand, blue-collar jobs generally involve manual labor and workers are paid either by the hour or on a piecework basis.
Other key distinctions between the two include differing educational backgrounds and social classes. These differences are often just stereotypes and are not necessarily true.
Key Takeaways
- People and jobs in the labor force are often divided into categories based on collar colors, including white-collar and blue-collar.
- White-collar jobs are known to relate to suit-and-tie professionals who work in service industries and are paid salaries.
- Blue-collar jobs involve manual labor and workers are paid on an hourly or piecework basis.
- Certain perceptions aren’t necessarily true, including the ideas that blue-collar workers belong to a lower social class and that white-collar jobs pay more.
- Although the terms typically evoke different images of workers, the similarities between their roles are increasing.
Blue-Collar Workers
The term blue-collar worker refers to individuals who engage in hard manual labor, typically in the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, or maintenance sectors. Most of these people historically wore blue collared shirts when they worked.
Some blue-collar workers may have to do physically demanding or exhausting tasks. They may work outdoors and/or work with heavy machinery or animals. Workers may be skilled or unskilled. Skills can be acquired on the job or, more commonly, at a trade school.
Some of the most common blue-collar jobs involve:
- Welders
- Mechanics
- Electricians
- Construction workers
Some may be more specialized, such as power plant operators, power distributors, and nuclear power plant operators.
The way blue-collar workers are paid depends on the industry in which they work. Some individuals are paid on an hourly basis. Other workers are paid by the number of pieces they complete in a day, which is typical for those who work in factory settings.
Important
The movement of a nation’s employment market toward the service industry and away from agricultural labor can signify growth, educational advancement, and technological innovation.
White-Collar Workers
American writer Upton Sinclair is partially responsible for the modern understanding of the white-collar job, having used the term “white-collar” in his writing in conjunction with administrative work.
White-collar workers are often found in office settings. As the name implies, they are generally suit-and-tie workers who wear white-collared shirts. Their jobs may involve working at a desk in clerical, administrative, management, or executive settings. Unlike blue-collar workers, white-collar workers usually don’t have physically taxing jobs.
The following are examples of white-collar workers:
- An administrative assistant in an office
- A data entry clerk
- The manager of a marketing department
Workers in white-collar jobs often receive annual salaries over hourly wages. This is a fixed amount that doesn’t factor in a specific number of hours. This means that paystubs highlight salary for a particular pay period rather than the number of hours worked.
Key Differences
The differences between the terms blue- and white-collar showcase how we perceive various industries, the extent to which individuals are educated, their appearances in the workplace, and social classes. Keep in mind, though, that none of this is necessarily based on fact.
Perception of Industries
White-collar jobs are believed to be more sought-after than blue-collar ones. That’s because society often perceives office jobs to be better than those that require manual or taxing labor. Put simply, an office job is considered more desirable than one in the manufacturing or agricultural sector because of the type of work involved.
If a country’s infrastructure is developed to the degree where workers are offered safe desk jobs that require mental focus rather than physical exertion, then the nation is empowered to remove the burden of physicality from the requirements of earning a wage.
Education
There is an idea that blue-collar workers aren’t as educated as those who work white-collar jobs. That’s because office work typically requires post-secondary education. For instance, a company looking for accountants generally requires new hires to have an undergraduate degree in accounting or finance. Blue-collar jobs may only require certain skills that can be obtained either on the job or by going to trade school.
Attire
The historical basis for the two terms may not have changed radically from their origins. Blue-collar originates from the common appearance of a manual worker’s attire. This includes blue jeans, overalls, or boilersuits. Dark colors, such as blue, help hide dirt and other elements that may soil clothes as a result of work.
In contrast, white-collar is associated with white button-down shirts adorned with ties worn by business people. People with such attire sit at desks and move around offices, with little exposure to efforts that could soil their clothes.
Social Classes
These terms also carry the perception that white-collar workers not only make more money than blue-collar workers but that they also belong to different social classes.
It’s perceived that white-collar workers have a higher status because they may earn more and may be better educated. Blue-collar workers, on the other hand, are believed to fall lower on the social ladder because they do manual labor and may not be as educated.
Remember, this isn’t always the case.
Note
The evolving tech industry has played an important role in changing the perceptions of collar colors (and the use of them) with its need for workers with multiple skills, experience in various disciplines, and hands-on abilities.
Special Considerations
The Industrial Revolution ushered in the era of the blue-collar worker when individuals began moving from rural areas in search of work. The white-collar job, on the other hand, became popular in the 20th century.
When farming became industrialized, the result was an increase in unemployment. People began flocking to large cities where factories needed labor to operate machinery and work on the production line.
To say one person works a blue-collar job while another has a white-collar job implies a difference in earnings. The blue-collar worker may work for hourly wages or receive payment per item produced or assembled. They may be part of a union that maintains the security of hours and future work.
Likewise, there may be insecurity about the stability of the blue-collar worker’s job, whether it be dependent on a contractual agreement with a third party or temporary.
A white-collar worker, on the other hand, may have obtained their job through a more stringent hiring process and may be more difficult to fire. The income of those who don’t earn a salary may be contingent on maintaining a client base, such as private practice lawyers and physicians. But their position may be stable since the work requires specific skills.
The line between these types of workers is fading. As blue-collar job technology increases, so does the amount of education needed and subsequent pay workers receive, such as those for electricians and cable installers.
And when some white-collar job markets become saturated, employees don’t make much more than their blue-collar counterparts. That’s because the competitiveness for positions allows employers to offer less, or workers take jobs for which they are overqualified.
Is Blue-Collar a Derogatory Term?
It can be. While there is nothing wrong with working a blue-collar job, calling someone blue-collar has been used as a way to put down or offend people. That’s because there’s a perception that blue-collar individuals don’t have the same earning power and education as white-collar workers. Another assumption is that blue-collar workers fall on a lower rung of the social ladder. While the lines are fading between the two, thanks to technology, there is still some negativity associated with the term.
Why Are Jobs Defined by Collar Color?
Jobs have been classified by some by the type of collars, shirts, or clothing that workers wear. For instance, blue-collar workers often wear blue (denim) shirts and clothing, which can hide the oil, residue, and dirt involved with certain work done by mechanics or factory workers. White-collar workers tend to wear white shirts under their suits.
Are There Other Collar Colors?
Yes. But many of these aren’t nearly as common as blue- and white-collar. Gold collar signifies white-collar workers who come with higher skills and are in higher demand. These include doctors, engineers, lawyers, and pilots. Red-collar workers are those who work in the government whose salaries come from the red ink budget. This category may also include farmers. Pink-collar is an outdated term that was used to describe sectors that were historically dominated by women, including nursing and secretarial work. One of the newest types of collar colors is the green collar, which refers to jobs in the environmental sector.
The Bottom Line
Historically, wage earners were divided into categories based on the type of attire they wore. Blue-collar workers wore blue-colored clothing for work in fields and factories. White-collar workers wore white shirts beneath suits required by jobs in an office.
While these distinctions still exist, the line between these two categories is fading. While blue-collar jobs were once less desirable compared to white-collar jobs, people are changing the way they think about work. As such, being a blue-collar worker doesn’t mean that you’re any less than someone who works a white-collar job in an office setting.
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