Blue Collar vs White Collar Jobs: Whats the Difference?

White-collar workers, Crisp said, included “not only typists, stenographers, and file clerks” but also executives, engineers, and scientists. In contrast, the white-collar worker typically performs work in an office environment and may involve sitting at a computer or desk. A third type of work is a service worker (pink collar) whose labor is related to customer interaction, entertainment, sales or other service-oriented work. There are a wide range of payscales for such work depending upon field of specialty and experience. As the 20th century progressed, the terms became shorthand for different types of jobs. White collar workers were usually in offices, in administrative or management roles, and were paid a salary.

Over time, the term “blue collar” has evolved to include a wider range of occupations beyond traditional manual labor. It now encompasses workers in the construction, manufacturing, transportation, and other industries that require physical exertion and technical skills. By the 1940s, it was common for Americans to juxtapose blue-collar and white-collar jobs.

Blue-collar worker

Also, based on a 2018 Washington Post article, about 13.9 percent of workers are in blue collar professions. “Blue collar” is a reference to the overalls worn by workers in jobs which require working with tools. It’s a home office, but technically, it would be considered a white-collar position.

• “Blue collar” is one classification of employees based on the type of labor they perform.
• Adding in over-time wages, blue-collar workers could easily earn over six figures a year.
• Navy and light blue colors conceal potential dirt or grease on the worker’s clothing, helping them to appear cleaner.
• That has changed thanks to the specialized training and technology knowledge that many blue collar jobs now require.
• These are usually jobs that generally require you to do physical labor like working with your hands, physical exertion, or using specialized equipment.

Many people believe that if you work in the blue-collar industry, you make less than white-collar workers. In fact, many different blue-collar professions make as much as—or even more than—financial advisors, scientists, and veterinarians. Power plant operators, electricians, elevator installers, drill operators, and several others can make as much as $90,000 a year!

What is a blue collar worker?

For the same reason, blue is a popular color for boilersuits which protect workers’ clothing. Some blue collar workers have uniforms with the name where did the term blue collar come from of the business or the individual’s name embroidered or printed on it. Blue collar and white collar jobs have historically been differentiated based on the nature of the work, the work environment, and the educational prerequisites.

Distinguishing blue collar from white collar

However, the rise of a new middle class of merchants, factory owners, and professionals changed notions of work, and social climbers who had to work for a living still strived to appear refined and wealthy. The terms “white-collar jobs” and “blue-collar jobs” pop up in discussions about work, the economy, education and class. But why are jobs sorted like loads of laundry by collar colors, especially in a world where a lot of people where t-shirts and hoodies to work, no matter what they do? Since most blue-collar jobs pay by the hour, working overtime could mean that a blue-collar worker can earn six figures in a year.

That has changed thanks to the specialized training and technology knowledge that many blue collar jobs now require. Many blue-collar workers earn as much or more than their white-collar counterparts. A century later, society is still struggling to shake off that mentality. The term blue-collar gets its roots from the special clothing worn by manual laborers, like blue cotton or denim. In the early 20th century, these workers often wore durable, blue-colored shirts as part of their uniforms as police officers or factory workers.

Blue Collar vs. Other Collars

There has been a large push from organizations such as Women in Trucking who are working to address the obstacles that normally keep women from entering or succeeding in blue-collar work. Explore the definitions, myths & challenges of blue-collar work versus white-collar professions, plus how to manage a blue-collar workforce effectively. Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC.

The concept of a blue-collar workforce emerged during the Industrial Revolution. As factories expanded and the demand for manual labor increased, a growing number of workers began to wear overalls and other functional clothing in their workplaces. The blue color of these garments became synonymous with the working class. By the mid-1920s, collared work shirts were being mass produced cheaply enough to include pockets, collars, and cuffs, and industrial workers by that time could often afford to buy more than one. The 1926 Montgomery Ward mail-order catalog featured the “Guaranteed Work Shirt,” described as a “big tough shirt of firm heavy chambray.” It came in two colors.

The blue work shirt has become something of a rarity on the job, more often being part of a uniform for sometimes public-facing workers like delivery drivers and mechanics. Prior to industrialization, monarchs and the nobility distinguished themselves with elaborate starched, ruffled collars. The more elaborate the attire, the more apparent that they performed no manual labor.

But blue-collar jobs usually include manual or trade-related labor, and workers often wear dark clothing or blue jeans. Some blue-collar jobs include factory work, mining, construction work, welding, and electrical work. Some require a high skill set, including nuclear power plant operators, elevator installers, criminal investigators, and dispatchers. The blue-collar term comes from the 1920s when blue-collar workers wore darker clothes—like denim or coveralls—than their white-collar counterparts to keep their clothing looking cleaner despite their messier work environments. Blue-collar is a term that describes a worker “whose duties call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing” due to the manual and physically-demanding nature of their work. The growth of blue collar jobs is presented in a map on the site of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, based on BLS data.

Many of those in blue-collar or skilled trade occupations perform physical labor. Coal miners, masons, bricklayers, boilermakers, and welders all wore darker colors that didn’t readily show dirt. They may wear overalls, chambray shirts, or jeans, all in the color blue. Other examples of blue-collar jobs include train conductors, who ensure the safe transportation of passengers and cargo, and aircraft mechanics, who inspect and repair aircraft engines.