We are all aware of the terms Blue Collar and White Collar. Blue collar workers tend to work in trades or with their hands, white collar workers have office jobs, and that’s it, right? Well, these days there are many more ‘collar’ colours – and even No Collar and New Collar workers.
The terms White Collar and Blue Collar were first used in the early 20th century. Since then, pink, red, gold, green, purple, and many more colours have been added. But perhaps the most interesting from an employment point of view, is the New Collar worker.
What is a “New Collar” Worker?
A New Collar worker is someone who has a range of soft and technical skills that have been gained through non-traditional education means. This might be through internships or apprenticeships, vocational colleges or community colleges. The benefits to employers with this type of worker is that they can often hit the ground running because they usually have a great deal of practical, on-the-job readiness.
So if you are an employer, think about what qualifications you really need in your staff and start thinking outside the box on their educational experiences. And if you are a candidate, it might be time look outside the traditional options in education and when developing your career path.
What the Colours Mean
White – office worker
Blue – tradie or labourer
Pink – hospitality and retail
Red – government workers
Green – environmental and energy workers
Brown – military
Orange – mining and prison
For all your recruitment needs contact Michelle and the team.
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