We’re all familiar with the concept of white-collar and blue-collar workers. After all, those terms have been around for more than a century. But a different kind of worker is getting more attention these days. Although the term “gray-collar workers” has only existedsince 2004, we’re starting to hear it more and more often.
What exactly are gray-collar workers?As the name implies, these employees fall somewhere between blue-collar workers and their white-collar counterparts in terms of their jobs and the physicality, technical skills and education needed to do them.
Like blue-collar employees, gray-collar workers often engage in physical labor. However, they also wield technical skills equal to (and sometimes surpassing) those of white-collar workers. They don’t always hold college degrees, but about1 in 5 gray-college workersdo have a master’s degree or some graduate school experience.
Also called “middle-skilled” and “hybrid” employees, gray-collar workers make up a significant portion of the labor market. In fact, gray-collar professions include:
- First responders, including police, firefighters and first responders
- Teachers and child care workers
- Engineers
- IT professionals
- Nurses, lab techs and other nonphysician health care professionals
- Airline pilots and flight attendants
- Licensed/certified sales professionals, such as realtors and insurance brokers
- Government employees
In other words, these are many of the essential workers who kept the country running whenCOVID-19 emerged in 2020. And going forward, employers will need them more than ever.
The Growing Demand for Gray-Collar Workers
Many industries have an increasing need for gray-collar workers—although they may not call them as such. This includes:
- Healthcare, largely due to our aging population.
- Manufacturing, due to the rapid adoption of new factory technologies.
- The public sector, including education and law enforcement.
- Staffing, which serves many industries and needs workers with diverse skills.
As companies continue to adopt ever-advancing technologies, the need for tech-savvy gray-collar workers will only continue to grow—theGreat Resignationnotwithstanding.
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Attracting and Retaining Gray-Collar Workers
In the past, gray-collar workers were often grouped with the blue-collar workforce—and, as such, largely overlooked. But if gray-collar workers are important to your business, it’s to your advantage to recognize them directly, especially when it comes to recruitment and talent development.
That might mean:
- Updating your job descriptions to more clearly define gray-collar positions, specifically regarding technical skills.
- Tweaking yourrecruiting software—such as résumé keyword search criteria—to quickly identify qualified candidates.
- Ensuring your pay scales are current and competitive for these positions.
- Rethinking your hiring requirements. Is a bachelor’s degree really necessary when applicants have the right experience and certifications?
- Ensuring youronboarding softwareis geared to helping gray-collar workers succeed.
- Upgrading youronline training programto help gray-collar workers sharpen their skills—and to train blue-collar workers to take on gray-collar positions.
Clearly, all workers are important—regardless of collar-color designations. However, appealing to various groups of workers directly, on their own terms, can give employers a competitive edge.
No shades of gray about it.
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