White-collar jobs, associated with office work and management, now make up around 60% of the US workforce. These jobs often require longer hours and greater responsibility, but may still involve manual labor. Traditional dress codes still play a role in presenting a professional appearance.
While dress codes have changed significantly over the years, many jobs are still classified based on the traditional work shirts worn by those who perform them. Workers who do mostly manual or other practical work often wear blue work shirts, for example. Jobs traditionally held by women, such as teaching or secretarial work, are sometimes called pink-collar jobs. A white-collar job is typically associated with office, sales, or managerial jobs, where the traditional dress code is often a white button-down shirt and tie.
Back when the American economy was predominantly agricultural, white-collar jobs made up less than 20% of the total workforce. Today, the number of is closer to 60%. As technology improves in a given industry, there is often a shift from blue-collar workers who service machinery to white-collar workers who supervise and manage production. This type of work is often associated with management, even though the employee’s actual job duties are more practical than supervisory.
Clerical work in an office environment is generally considered to be the definitive definition of a white-collar job. A person performing such a job may still be an hourly employee like his counterpart, or he may be paid. This often means that a white collar worker has a significant number of responsibilities and a longer workweek than hourly blue collar workers. However, the job description doesn’t always provide protection from manual labor. Restaurant management, generally considered a white-collar job, often requires managers to perform the duties of absent workers, for example.
Other types of white-collar employment include sales, accounting, advertising, and customer service. These jobs are usually considered professional level vocations filled by graduate or highly skilled workers. Although modern business dress codes now allow for other “business casual” attire, many office workers and executives are still encouraged to wear true white collars to present a professional appearance to prospective clients or workers they may supervise.
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