

Postman blue vs navy suit manual#
Since many blue-collar jobs consist of mainly manual labor, educational requirements for workers are typically lower than those of white-collar workers. However, this distinction has become blurred with the increasing importance of skilled labor, and the relative increase in low-paying white-collar jobs.Įducational requirements Workers constructing a photovoltaic system in Zugspitze, Germany The blue collar/white collar colour scheme has socio-economic class connotations. Historically, the popularity of the colour blue among manual labourers contrasts with the popularity of white dress shirts worn by people in office environments. Some blue collar workers have uniforms with the name of the business and/or the individual's name embroidered or printed on it.

For the same reason, blue is a popular color for boilersuits which protect workers' clothing. Navy and light blue colors conceal potential dirt or grease on the worker's clothing, helping them to appear cleaner. Industrial and manual workers often wear durable canvas or cotton clothing that may be soiled during the course of their work. The phrase stems from the image of manual workers wearing blue denim or chambray shirts as part of their uniforms. The term blue collar was first used in reference to trades jobs in 1924, in an Alden, Iowa newspaper. Despite their name, blue-collar workers do not always or typically wear blue shirts. Origin of term A welder making boilers at the Combustion Engineering Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee in June 1942. There are a wide range of payscales for such work depending upon field of specialty and experience. Many occupations blend blue, white, or pink-collar work and are often paid hourly wage-labor, although some professionals may be paid by the project or salaried. A third type of work is a service worker ( pink collar) whose labor is related to customer interaction, entertainment, sales or other service-oriented work. In contrast, the white-collar worker typically performs work in an office environment and may involve sitting at a computer or desk. Blue-collar work often involves something being physically built or maintained. The type of work may involve manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and power plant operations, electrical construction and maintenance, custodial work, farming, commercial fishing, logging, landscaping, pest control, food processing, oil field work, waste collection and disposal, recycling, construction, maintenance, shipping, driving, trucking, and many other types of physical work.

Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. For other uses, see Blue collar (disambiguation).Ī manual laborer at work in Barquisimeto, VenezuelaĪ blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor and/or skilled trades.
