What is Blue-collar Worker ?
A ‘Blue-collar Worker’ is a worker who does manual labour and hence it has become somewhat derogatory in recent times. It is mostly associated with physically intensive work as opposed to a ‘white-collar job’ that is primarily office-based.
The term originated due to the blue coloured uniforms of these workers which were meant to hide stains easily while doing physical work. However, blue-collar jobs don’t automatically translate to low pay. Many blue-collar jobs require heavily skilled manual labour and hence, they are paid well.
The compensation varies a lot for the blue-collar jobs since they are mostly contractual workers who might be paid by the hour. However, exceptionally skilled blue-collar workers might even be salaried owing to their experience and technical skills.