A white-collar worker is a person who performsknowledge-based,aptitude-based,managerial, or administrative work generally performed in anoffice or similar setting. White-collar workers include job paths related tobanking,finance,compliance,legal,risk management,internal audit,data privacy,cybersecurity,insurance,government,consulting,academia,accountancy,business andexecutive management,customer support,design,economics,science,technology,engineering,market research,human resources,operations research,marketing,public relations,real estate,information technology,networking,healthcare,architecture, andresearch and development.
In contrast,blue-collar workers performmanual labor or work inskilled trades;pink-collar workers work in care, health care, social work, or teaching;green-collar workers specifically work in the environmental sector; andgrey-collar jobs combine manual labor and skilled trades with non-manual ormanagerial duties.
With the emergence of theAI boom, there have been studies released arguing white-collar workers are, as of 2024, more susceptible totechnological unemployment caused byAI (which according to those studies has already started) relative toblue,grey orpink-collar workers.[1]
The term refers to the whitedress shirts ordetachable collars of male office workers common through most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Western countries, as opposed to the blue overalls worn by many manual laborers.
The term "white collar" is credited toUpton Sinclair, an American writer, in relation to contemporaryclerical, administrative, and management workers during the 1930s,[2] though references to white-collar work appear as early as 1935. White collar employees are considered highly educated and talented as compared to blue collar.
Less physical activity among white-collar workers has been thought to be a key factor in increased life-style related health conditions such asfatigue,obesity,diabetes,hypertension,cancer, andheart disease.[3] Also, working at a computer could potentially lead to diseases associated with monotonous data entry such ascarpal tunnel syndrome.[4] Workplace interventions such as alternative activity workstations,sit-stand desks, and promotion of stair use are among measures being implemented to counter the harms ofsedentary workplace environments.[5] The quality of evidence used to determine the effectiveness and potential health benefits of many of these interventions is weak. More research is needed to determine which interventions may be effective in the long-term.[6] Low quality evidence indicates that sit-stand desks may reduce sitting in the workplace during the first year of their use; however, it is not clear if sit-stand desks may be effective at reducing sitting in the longer-term.[6] An intervention to encourage office workers to stand and move reduced their sitting time by 22 minutes after 1 year; the effect was 3-times greater when the intervention included a sit-to-stand desk. The intervention also led to small improvements in stress, wellbeing and vigour.[7][8]
Formerly a minority in theagrarian and earlyindustrial societies, white-collar workers have become a majority inindustrialized countries due tomodernization andoutsourcing of manufacturing jobs.[9]
Theblue-collar and white-collar phrases may no longer be literally accurate, as office attire has broadened beyond a white shirt. Employees in many offices may dress in colourful casual orbusiness casual clothes. In addition, the work tasks have blurred. "White-collar" employees may perform "blue-collar" tasks (or vice versa). An example would be arestaurant manager who may wear moreformal clothing yet still assist with cooking food or taking customers' orders, or a construction worker who also performs desk work.
The dictionary definition ofwhite-collar at Wiktionary
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