Blue-collar worker
Blue-collar is a term for what some refer to as the
working class. A blue-collar worker is differentiated from white-collar and service employees, in that the blue-collar worker earns an hourly wage (as opposed to the white-collar salary) and performs manual labor (as opposed to the service-industry worker). Blue collar work may be skilled or unskilled, and may involve
factory work, building and construction trades, law enforcement, mechanical work,
maintenance or technical installations. The
white-collar worker, by contrast, performs non-manual labor often in an office; and the
service industry worker performs non-manual labor involving customer interaction, entertainment, retail sales, and the like.
This term occasionally carries a
stereotype based on historical perspective, but is rarely perceived to be a negative one. The blue-collar worker in the United States is an embodiment of the American mythos of a work ethic and the dignity of labor. Rightly or wrongly, some blue-collar jobs, such as those of janitors and unskilled laborers, may carry negative stereotypes from perceptions that they represent minimal ability. Most, however, involve levels of specialized skill that carry no stigma, and are on the contrary a source of pride.
The term derives from the dress codes of workplaces. Industrial and manual workers wear durable clothing that can be soiled or scrapped at work. A popular element of such "work clothes" has been, and still is, a light or navy blue shirt. Blue is also a popular color for
coveralls.
The popularity of the color blue among persons who do manual labor is contrasted to the ubiquitous white dress shirt that, historically, has been standard attire in office environments. This obvious color-coding has been used to identify a difference in
socio-economic class. This distinction is growing more blurred, however, with the increasing importance of skilled labor, and the growth of non-laboring, but low-paying,
service sector jobs.
Blue-collar can also be used as an adjective to describe the environment of the blue-collar worker: e.g. a blue-collar neighborhood, job, restaurant, bar, etc., or a situation describing the use of manual effort and the strength required to do so.
Some distinctive elements of blue-collar work are the lesser requirements for formal academic education which is needed to succeed in other types of work. Blue-collar work typically is
wage-labor and entails a
labor model that involves a 1-minute-accurate clock-in system. Usually, the pay for such occupation is lower than that of the white-collar worker, although higher than many entry-level service occupations. Sometimes the work conditions can be strenuous or hazardous. Skilled blue-collar work often pays as well or better than careers requiring professional post-graduate degrees.
Blue collar workers exist in varying proportions throughout the industrial world, though several locations, such as the
United States state of
Pennsylvania, particularly the city of
Allentown contain a large number of blue-collar workers. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a city that has evolved out of a blue-collar based economy that had previously centered around steel production. Pittsburgh's national blue-collar image is driven largely by media portrayal which is based on the prevailing 'hard working,' blue-collar mentality that the majority of Pittsburgh residents tend to value. Both cities have sometimes been highlighted in popular culture because of their blue-collar reputations.
With the movement of many Western nations towards service based economy, the Blue-collar workforce has steadily decreased in size. At the same time skilled Blue-collar workers, mainly tradespeople working in the building industry, have seen rapidly rising wages.
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Working class*
Blue collar*
Social class*
pink collar*
white collar*
gold collar
