white-collar

Thân thiện

A young man works at a white-collar job in a modern office.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Relating to professional, administrative, or clerical work typically performed in an office setting: This term describes jobs, workers, or environments associated with non-manual labor, often involving administrative, managerial, or technical duties. It contrasts with manual or industrial labor. Example: The company offers benefits tailored for its white-collar employees.

Usage

• The term is primarily used to classify types of employment, workers, or workplace issues.
• It is often used in contrast with "blue-collar" (relating to manual or industrial work).
• It can modify nouns like "worker," "job," "crime," "professional," and "environment."

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The economic downturn led to significant layoffs in the white-collar sector.
  • She transitioned from a blue-collar trade to a white-collar career in management.
  • White-collar crime, such as fraud, is investigated by specialized units.

Advanced Usage

• "White-collar crime": A non-violent crime typically involving fraud, embezzlement, or a violation of trust, committed for financial gain, often by someone in a professional or business role.
  • The executive was convicted of multiple counts of white-collar crime.
• "White-collar worker": An employee whose job involves professional, administrative, or clerical duties in an office environment.
  • Most white-collar workers at the firm have flexible working hours.

Variants and Related Words

• Blue-collar (adj): Relating to manual or industrial work and workers.
• Pink-collar (adj): Historically relating to jobs traditionally held by women, such as nursing, teaching, or secretarial work.
• Collar (n): Used as a combining form to categorize types of employment (e.g., white-collar, blue-collar).

Synonyms

• Professional (when referring to certain job categories)
• Salaried
• Clerical (specifically for office work)
• Administrative

Notes

• The term originates from the white dress shirts that were traditionally worn by men in such office roles.
• It is a compound adjective and is almost always used with a hyphen.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. of or designating salaried professional or clerical work or workers
   • the coal miner's son aspired to a white-collar occupation as a bookkeeper