Grey-collar

Grey-collar refers to the balance of employed people not classified as white- or blue collar. Although grey-collar is sometimes used to describe those who work beyond the age of retirement,^[1][2] it is also used to refer to occupations that incorporate some of the elements of both blue- and white-collar, or are completely different from both categories.

Examples of grey-collar industries:

• Farming, fishing, forestry, and other forms of agribusiness
• Health care, elderly care, child care, and the personal service sector
• Protective services and security
• Food preparation and the catering industry
• High tech technicians^[3]
• Skilled trades, technicians, etc.
• Typists, stenographers, and paralegals

Grey-collar workers often have associate degrees from a community college in a particular field. They are unlike blue-collar workers in that blue-collar workers can often be trained on the job within several weeks whereas grey-collar workers already have a specific skill set.

The field which most recognizes the diversity between these two groups is that of human resources and the insurance industry. These different groups must be insured differently for liability as the potential for injury is different.

Other definitions

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that another definition for grey collar could be the underemployed white collar worker.^[4]

Charle Brecher of the Citizens Budget Commission and the Partnership for New York City defined it sub-blue-collar jobs: "maintenance and custodial".^[5]

References

Look up grey-collar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.