Blue Collar Vs White Collar Jobs
If you are still searching for the difference between Blue Collar Vs White Collar, then you have come to the right place.
Because:
We will figure out the main differences between blue-collar and white-collar jobs in this article.
So:
A white-collar job is typically performed in an office at a desk and requires clerical, administrative, or managerial duties.
Some examples of white-collar jobs include tech, accounting, marketing, and consulting.
Whereas:
A blue-collar job refers to some sort of manual or trade-related labor that requires physical exertion, rather than mental attention.
Blue-collar jobs examples include retail, manufacturing, food service, and construction.
Differences Between Blue Collar Vs White Collar
The basic differences between white-collar and blue-collar jobs are as follows:
1. Education Level
White-collar jobs typically have higher educational requirements. Because many of these positions are knowledge-oriented and involve the management or interpretation of specialized information, a minimum of a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree may be needed for this.
As blue-collar jobs involve physical labor, these positions often don’t require higher education and will simply ask for workers to have a high school diploma.
Some higher-paid, more specialized blue-collar positions also require certain certifications or technical skills.
2. Nature of Job
White-collar jobs are more administrative in nature. They typically involve information-based work, meaning that the employees are usually working in an office at a desk or on a computer.
Many of these jobs in Canada may also be done online or from home.
In contrast, blue-collar jobs involve performing physical labor. These can be skilled or unskilled types of labor, depending on the exact nature of the job.
Many blue-collar workers work outdoors or in industrial environments, such as warehouses, construction sites, workshops, production lines, etc.
3. Roles and Responsibilities
White-collar jobs usually have roles that require skills that can only be achieved through formal education. White-collar employees typically perform duties in a clerical capacity by developing, communicating, and implementing ideas.
Blue-collar responsibilities sometimes require physical labor with machinery, vehicles, or equipment. They might also require highly specialized skills and expertise for the usage of specific software or tools.
4. Salary Terms
White-collar jobs tend to be higher-paid, and offer an annual salary based on overall performance in the position. White-collar workers are required to work a minimum number of hours to be paid.
On the other hand, blue-collar jobs are often wage-based, meaning that the workers are compensated based on the work done in a certain number of hours or shifts per week.
What Are the Most Common White-Collar Jobs?
The following are the most common white-collar jobs in Canada:
- Physician
- Accountant
- Market researcher
- Attorney
- Civil engineer
- Executive director
- Health services administrator
- Software engineer
1. Physician
Primary duties: Physicians diagnose and treat patients that are suffering from a wide range of health issues, injuries, disorders, and illnesses. They may order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, and counsel patients on managing their health.
Average Salary: CAD 200,000 per year
2. Accountant
Primary duties: Accountants maintain budgets, manage financial transactions, reconcile accounts payable, and receivable and process tax payments and returns. They also evaluate and report on a company’s financial health.
Average Salary: CAD 56,561 per year
3. Market Researcher
Primary duties: Market Researchers help companies determine which products they should sell and at what prices by regularly studying the market. They make recommendations on advertising campaigns based on their assessment of a particular market.
Average Salary: CAD 65,650 per year
4. Attorney
Primary duties: Attorneys represent their clients in legal proceedings. They may work with civil or criminal cases. Responsibilities include preparing documents, developing arguments, and advising clients on the best course of action.
Average Salary: CAD 99,398 per year
5. Civil Engineer
Primary duties: Civil Engineers create, improve and protect the environment in which we live. They plan, design, and oversee the construction and maintenance of building structures and infrastructure. Their duties may apply to bridges, roadways, railways, power plants, and water systems.
Average Salary: CAD 77,167 per year
6. Executive Director
Primary duties: An Executive Director oversees strategic planning for the company. This includes developing business plans, directing fundraising activities, evaluating marketing activities, and appointing leadership.
Average Salary: CAD 80,000 per year
7. Health Services Administrator
Primary duties: A Health Services Administrator oversees the daily operations of healthcare facilities like hospitals. This professional manages health records, budgets, schedules, and policies. Most Health Services Administrators direct all employees in a facility, including creating schedules and job duties.
Average Salary: CAD 61,182 per year
8. Software Engineer
Primary duties: A Software Engineer is responsible for analyzing and modifying existing software as well as designing, constructing, and testing end-user applications that meet user needs — all through software programming languages.
Average Salary: CAD 92,043 per year
What Are the Most Common Blue-Collar Jobs?
Following are the most in-demand jobs in Canada that fall under the blue-collar category:
- Landscape laborer
- Flooring installer
- Construction Inspector
- Electrician
- Warehouse Associate
- Plumber
- Truck driver
- Refuse collector
1. Landscape Laborer
Primary duties: A Landscape Laborer monitors the entire landscape or designated area of a property. Duties include planting, watering, and all-around tending to any plants, shrubs, or trees. It is their responsibility to keep the landscape thriving, healthy, and effectively designed.
Average Salary: CAD 37,050 per year
2. Flooring Installer
Primary duties: A Flooring Installer is responsible for designing and creating the flooring system for an establishment or residential home setting. They determine the area’s measurement and recommend cost-efficient and high-quality resources for the clients.
Average Salary: CAD 39,975 per year
3. Construction Field Inspector
Primary duties: A Construction Field Inspector examines construction sites such as buildings, streets, highways, bridges, and dams. They check the quality of construction material and ensure it meets construction standards. Construction inspectors also submit reports of their inspections to the upper management team. We have also covered a separate guide on is Construction Field Inspector a good career with reasons.
Average Salary: CAD 63,824 per year
Related: Construction Field inspector job in Alberta
4. Electrician
Primary duties: Electricians install, repair, and maintain electrical outlets, fixtures and wiring. They may troubleshoot malfunctioning equipment with testing devices and advise customers on the best course of action. Their duties also include placing wires and connecting them to other electrical equipment.
Average Salary: CAD 58,956 per year
5. Warehouse Associate
Primary duties: Warehouse Associates may be responsible for packing orders, keeping inventory records, and maintaining the warehouse in an orderly fashion. Job duties typically include transporting, stocking, and pulling materials and products.
Average Salary: CAD 31,629 per year
6. Plumber
Primary duties: A Plumber installs, maintains, and repairs equipment used for distributing or disposing of water such as pipes and fixtures. Plumbers also clear obstructions in sink drains and toilets and inspect equipment to determine the reason for plumbing issues.
Average Salary: CAD 58,500 per year
7. Truck Driver
Primary duties: A Truck Driver is responsible for transporting goods from one location to another. They also load, unload, and inspect cargo into trucks. They observe safety protocols and follow traffic rules. They are also responsible for performing maintenance checks on trucks and reporting issues. We have also covered a separate guide on is Dump Truck Driver a good career.
Average Salary: CAD 46,802 per year
8. Refuse Collector
Primary duties: Refuse Collectors are responsible for collecting rubbish and recyclables from homes and businesses and putting them in a refuse lorry to take to a recycling center, tip or incinerator. They may drive disposal trucks and handle trash and recycling receptacles. Most collectors work for public departments and perform most of their duties during morning hours.
Average Salary: CAD 51,248 per year
Frequently Asked Questions:
1- What pays more blue-collar or white-collar?
If we examine blue-collar vs white-collar salaries, then we come to know that white-collar jobs have a reputation for being higher-paying than blue-collar jobs. However, a skilled blue-collar worker can often make more in wages than a mid-level white-collar job. For example, a skilled machine operator (blue-collar) might make more money than a bank teller (white-collar).
2- Are teachers blue-collar or white-collar?
Teachers are considered to be white-collar workers because it is typically a higher-paid and higher-skilled job that requires more education and training than low-skilled or manual work.
3- Why are blue-collar jobs better?
Blue-collar jobs are better because of the following reasons:
- They can leave work whenever they want
- They are not asked to submit tasks on time or come up with new exciting ideas
- They don’t have to go to the gym for fitness
- They always feel accomplished
The Primus Workforce team is proudly built on hands-on industry knowledge and experience.