Designation of workers by collar color
{{Short description|Employment classification}}
Collar color is a set of terms denoting groups of working individuals based on the colors of their collars worn at work. These commonly reflect one's occupation within a broad class, or sometimes gender.{{cite book|last1=Benczes|first1=Réka|title=Creative Compounding in English: The Semantics of Metaphorical and Metonymical Noun-Noun Combinations|date=2006|publisher=John Benjamins|location=Amsterdam|pages=144–146}} White-collar workers are named for the white-collared shirts that were fashionable among office workers in the early and mid-20th century. Blue-collar workers are referred to as such because in the early 20th century, they usually wore sturdy, inexpensive clothing that did not show dirt easily, such as blue denim or cambric shirts. In the modern era, these terms have become metaphorical and are not a description of typical apparel.
Various other "collar" descriptions exist as well, although none have received the kind of broad use in American English as the traditional white-collar and blue-collar distinction.
White collar
{{main|White-collar worker}}
The term "white-collar worker" was coined in the 1930s by Upton Sinclair, an American writer who referenced the word in connection to clerical, administrative and managerial functions during the 1930s.Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition. Electronically indexed online document. White collar, usage 1, first example. A white-collar worker is a salaried professional,{{Cite web |date=28 May 2022 |title=White-Collar |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/white-collar |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503203144/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/white-collar |archive-date=3 May 2022 |access-date=28 May 2023 |website=Cambridge Dictionary}} typically referring to general office workers and management.
Blue collar
{{main|Blue-collar worker}}
File:Working man-obrero 2.jpger at work in Venezuela.]]
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor and either earns an hourly wage or is paid piece rate for the amount of work done. This term was first used in 1924.Wickman, Forrest. [http://www.slate.com/articles/business/explainer/2012/05/blue_collar_white_collar_why_do_we_use_these_terms_.html "Working Man's Blues: Why do we call manual laborers blue collar?"] Slate.com, 1 May 2012.
Pink collar
{{main|Pink-collar worker}}
File:Drambuie VIP Party Waitress at The Roosevelt.jpg
A pink-collar worker is someone who works in a position traditionally held by women. Jobs commonly referred to as "pink-collar" include nursing, education and customer service.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-03 |title=“Pink collar” jobs are disproportionately underpaid |url=https://iusbpreface.net/2023/03/02/pink-collar-jobs-are-disproportionately-underpaid/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=The Preface |language=en-US}} The term was coined in the late 1970s as a phrase to describe jobs that were typically held by women.Elkins, Kathleen (February 17, 2015) [http://www.businessinsider.com/pink-collar-jobs-dominated-by-women-2015-2 "20 jobs that are dominated by women"] Business Insider[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/pink-collar "Pink collar"] Dictionary.comTennery, Ann (Mat 23, 2012) [https://business.time.com/2012/05/23/the-term-pink-collar-is-silly-and-outdated-lets-retire-it/ "The Term 'Pink Collar' Is Silly And Outdated — Let’s Retire It"] Time
Other classifications
There are a number of other terms used less frequently, or which translate to English from common use in other languages.{{cite book|title=Work in America: M-Z|pages=597|year=2003|isbn=9781576076767|publisher=ABC-Clio Ltd|location=CA, USA|last=Van Horn|first=Carl|last2=Schaffner|first2=Herbert}} These categories include:
Red collar – Government workers of all types;{{Unreliable source?|date=May 2023}} derived from compensation received from red ink budget. In China, it also refers to Communist Party officials in private companies.{{cite web|title=Red-Collars in Private Companies|url=http://www.bjreview.com.cn/17thCPC/txt/2007-06/25/content_78050.htm|website=Beijing Review|access-date=14 April 2015|date=Jun 28, 2007}}- New collar – Develops technical and soft skills through nontraditional education paths.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
- No collar – Artists and "free spirits" who tend to privilege passion and personal growth over financial gain. This term was popularized on the reality game show Survivor: Worlds Apart, which used No Collar (in addition to White and Blue Collar) as the tribal divisions;{{cite web|last1=Feinberg|first1=Daniel|title=Recap: 'Survivor: Worlds Apart' Premiere – 'It's Survivor Warfare'|url=http://www.hitfix.com/the-fien-print/recap-survivor-worlds-apart-premiere-its-survivor-warfare|website=HitFix |access-date=26 July 2015}} also, people who work, but not for payment.
- Dog collar – Members of the clergy or other ordained religious professionals.
Orange collar – Prison laborers, named for the orange jumpsuits commonly worn by inmates.{{Unreliable source?|date=May 2023}}{{cite thesis|type=PhD |author-last1=Pandeli |author-first1=Jenna |title=Orange-collar workers: an ethnographic study of modern prison labour and the involvement of private firms |url=https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/83532/ |website=Online Research @ Cardiff |date=2014}}- Green collar – Usually referring a wide range of professions relating to the environment and renewable energy, but can also refer to military personnel.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
- Brown collar - Military personnel{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}
- Purple collar - Jobs that require a combination of blue-collar and white-collar skills, often in technical fields, and requiring the worker to hold specialized degrees, licenses, or certifications. Possible examples are IT support specialists, and skilled trades supervisors.{{cite web |title=What Color is Your Job Collar? |url=https://alumniuk.britishcouncil.org/news/66c1aff7b8174f29d553413c |publisher=British Council |access-date=5 May 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Hurd |first1=Adam |title=Who is the Purple Collar Worker |url=https://www.atomicbusinesscoaching.com/post/who-is-the-purple-collar-worker |access-date=5 May 2025}}
- Scarlet collar – Workers in the sex industry{{Unreliable source?|date=May 2023}}
- Black collar – Manual laborers in industries in which workers generally become very dirty, such as mining or oil-drilling;Biseria, Puneet (May 20, 2015) [http://www.biseriapuneet.com/topics/topics/681-types-of-collar-jobs "Types of Collar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422202219/http://www.biseriapuneet.com/topics/topics/681-types-of-collar-jobs |date=2018-04-22 }}{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2021}}Friedrich, Thomas (2013) Hitler's Berlin: Abused City Spencer, Stewart (trans). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-300-16670-5}}. p.12. has also been used to describe workers in illegal professions.{{Citaiton needed|date=May 2023}}
- Open collar – Refers to a worker who works from home, via Internet likely freelancers.{{Citaiton needed|date=November 2023}}
- Gold collar – Refers to young, low-wage workers who invest in conspicuous luxury. Alternatively refers to highly-skilled professionals in high-demand fields such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, pilots, actuaries and scientists.{{Cite web |title=Types of Collar Workers! (updated) |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-types-collar-workers-hassan-choughari |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}
- Gray collar – Refers to labor which blurs the line between blue- and white-collar work. Gray collar work requires both physical and intellectual labour, and may require specialized training or college degrees. Commonly given examples of gray collar workers are first responders, nurses, conservationists, and pilots.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-09 |title=What Are Gray Collar Workers? {{!}} VensureHR |url=https://www.vensure.com/resources/blog/what-are-gray-collar-workers/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Grey Collar Jobs |url=https://www.aihr.com/hr-glossary/grey-collar-jobs/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=AIHR |language=en-US}}
- Yellow collar – Generally refers to positions in creative industries, especially those that require a blend of technical skills and artistic abilities, such as photographers, writers, or directors.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
- Rainbow collar – LGBT workers, who are more likely to work in fields that are non-exclusive to their same-gender. {{cite journal |last1=Finnigan |first1=Ryan |title=Rainbow-Collar Jobs? Occupational Segregation by Sexual Orientation in the United States |journal=Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World |date=September 9, 2020 |volume=6 |doi=10.1177/2378023120954795 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2378023120954795|doi-access=free }}
- Lavender collar – Workers who are lesbians.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}