new-collar

[ noo-kol-er, nyoo ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or designating middle-class wage earners holding jobs in a service industry.

Word History and Origins

Origin of new-collar¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

For companies like IBM, which has 5,000 job openings in the U.S., these so-called new-collar workers can help it meet its workforce needs — and do it inexpensively if those workers are far away from urban centers, where the cost of living and prevailing wages are higher.

From Seattle Times

There’s a new but promising category in the American labor market: people working in so-called new-collar or middle-skill jobs.

From New York Times

For companies like IBM, which has 5,000 job openings in the United States, new-collar workers can help it meet its work force needs — and do it inexpensively if those workers are far away from urban centers, where the cost of living and prevailing wages are higher.

From New York Times

Mr. Bridges represents a new but promising category in the American labor market: people working in so-called new-collar or middle-skill jobs.

From New York Times

“We need to start matching the skills employers need for new-collar jobs, with the skills being taught to our workers.”

From Washington Post