The labor market is changing and evolving. The job descriptions themselves are changing and we are approaching the categorization of positions differently. After reading the article, you will learn what the new categories are and why they were created. Do you know when we started distinguishing employees by job description? Do you know where the terms “white and blue collar” originated?
Already during the Industrial Revolution at the beginning of the last century. Employees began to be distinguished by their work clothes, namely blue collars, which symbolized the working class. The reason was that they wore blue shirts to work. Representatives of white collars were employees working in offices, who wore white shirts with suits to work.
Are you scared of being promoted?
Currently, the whole world is experiencing a shortage of professional workers. According to statistics in the USA, up to 42% of employees are more afraid of a promotion than they would welcome it. The reason is the increase in responsibilities, higher demands on completing tasks, more time spent at work at the expense of personal life and, last but not least, inadequate salary. In response to the shortage of professional and specialized employees, new categories of gray collar and new collar have emerged.
Gray collars – a group of specialists
This group represents workers who perform a combination of physical and technical work. Their occupations often require vocational training or specialized certifications. Gray collars are not manual workers (like blue collars), but they also do not work exclusively in offices (like white collars).
Characteristics of gray collars:
- A combination of physical labor and technical knowledge.
- They often work in the field or in operations, but they use modern technology.
- They may need secondary vocational education, technical training, or certifications.
- Typical in areas such as healthcare, technical services, IT support, security.
Examples of gray-collar occupations:
- Healthcare workers (paramedics, radiology technicians, medical assistants).
- Technical workers (electricians, auto mechanics, maintenance workers, plumbers).
- Security forces (police, firefighters, private security personnel).
- IT technicians (network administrators, IT support workers, service technicians).
What is the place of gray collar workers in the economy?
Grey collar jobs are becoming increasingly important, as many technical professions require both practical skills and technical knowledge. For example, a maintenance worker on a modern production line must be able to handle both mechanics and automation. Similarly, an IT support worker must be able to solve both technical and customer problems.
New collars and traditional higher education
This term was coined by Ginni Rometty, former CEO of IBM, to emphasize that many modern professions no longer require traditional college degrees, but rather technical skills, experience, and certifications.
Characteristics of the new collars:
- Employees work in the technology and digital industries.
- Education is not always a requirement – skills, training, and certifications are important.
- Great emphasis on digital literacy and modern technologies.
- They often work in IT, automation, data analytics, or cybersecurity.
Examples of new-collar occupations:
- Programmers and software developers (even without a college degree).
- Data analysts and artificial intelligence specialists.
- Cloud engineers, server administrators.
- Cybersecurity specialists.
- Digital marketing, social media management.
Why was the new collar category created?
- Digitalization: Companies need people with digital skills.
- Rapid technological development: Traditional universities are unable to respond to changes.
- Shortage of experts: IT companies are increasingly hiring people based on experience and courses, not diplomas.
How to become a new category worker? Educate yourself
- There are many online courses and certifications available on the market (e.g. Google, Microsoft, Coursera).
- Get involved in practical projects.
- Learn programming, data analytics, or cloud technologies.
The job market has come a long way from being simply divided into “white” and “blue collar”. Today we are witnessing the emergence of new categories that reflect the growing need for specialized skills and technical knowledge. These changes show that career success is no longer exclusively associated with traditional – formal education, but increasingly depends on the ability to constantly learn and adapt to the dynamic world of work.
