When people talk about work, they usually divide it into the two basics: white-collar and blue-collar. Maybe you’ve also heard of pink-collar jobs, if you’ve ever worked in education, healthcare, or service. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find a whole spectrum of collar colors that try to label the roles we play in the economy. From the environmentally minded and the elite, to the downright dangerous. It’s not just semantics. These collar colors offer a peek into how society views work, class, gender, and even power. And some of them? Well, they’re just straight-up weird.
Here’s a look at the wild list of collars Wikipedia has identified:
Blue-Collar
Typical jobs: Construction workers, electricians, mechanics, factory workers
Traits: Manual labor, skilled trades, often paid hourly
Fun fact: The “blue” comes from durable denim and chambray shirts that hid grease stains, and it became a badge of honor in the labor movement.
White-Collar
Typical jobs: Office workers, managers, administrators, analysts
Traits: Salaried, knowledge-based, often in business or tech
Fun fact: Coined in the 1930s when crisp white dress shirts were a status symbol in the office. Irony alert: many of today’s remote workers still wear them with pajama pants.
Black-Collar
Typical jobs: Miners, oil rig workers, sanitation workers
Traits: Dirty or hazardous manual labor; sometimes used for illegal or underground work
Fun fact: In slang, it’s also been used to describe hackers, hitmen, or organized crime figures. Not exactly a LinkedIn badge.
Brass-Collar
Typical jobs: Railroad workers, especially supervisors or company reps
Traits: Historical, hierarchical, heavily unionized
Fun fact: The name comes from actual brass name tags used by railroad employees—long before business cards or digital ID badges were a thing.
Brown-Collar
Typical jobs: Military service members
Traits: Structured, physical, mission-driven
Fun fact: Some sources say brown refers to traditional military dress uniforms. Others just use it to separate them from “green-collar” environmentalists.
Dog-Collar
Typical jobs: Clergy, religious leaders, chaplains
Traits: Spiritual leadership, often nonprofit or community-focused
Fun fact: The literal white clerical collar dates back centuries and was meant to represent humility, though some argue it’s also a symbol of authority.
Gold-Collar
Typical jobs: Elite professionals (surgeons, lawyers, engineers) or high-spending young workers
Traits: Either ultra-specialized and highly paid—or flashy and aspirational
Fun fact: “Gold-collar” has split into two meanings: one for brainy billionaires-in-the-making, and one for 20-somethings who buy Gucci on credit.
Gray-Collar
Typical jobs: Nurses, first responders, pilots, security personnel
Traits: Blends physical and intellectual labor; sometimes used for older workers delaying retirement
Fun fact: If blue-collar and white-collar had a baby, it would wear gray scrubs and know CPR.
Green-Collar
Typical jobs: Solar installers, sustainability analysts, environmental engineers
Traits: Planet-friendly, future-focused, fast-growing
Fun fact: Green-collar jobs are booming! Solar techs and wind turbine techs are two of the fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. by double the national hiring rate.
Lavender-Collar
Typical jobs: Historically associated with lesbians and queer women
Traits: Loosely defined, culturally significant
Fun fact: “Lavender” has long been tied to queer identity, used both as a slur and a symbol of pride. Some LGBTQ+ scholars have begun reclaiming it.
New-Collar
Typical jobs: Cybersecurity, data analysis, tech support
Traits: High-skill, low-barrier (no degree needed), built through bootcamps or certifications
Fun fact: Coined by IBM’s CEO to describe the workforce we actually need in the AI era, not just college grads.
No-Collar
Typical jobs: Artists, activists, gig workers, spiritual seekers
Traits: Freedom > finance, passion > paycheck
Fun fact: Popularized by Survivor: Worlds Apart where No-Collar meant “unbossed and unbothered.” Also describes people who work without pay, either by choice or from circumstance.
Open-Collar
Typical jobs: Remote workers, digital nomads, freelancers
Traits: Work-from-anywhere, internet-powered, nontraditional
Fun fact: Open-collar workers often blur the line between employed and self-employed, Zoom fatigue is their occupational hazard.
Orange-Collar
Typical jobs: Prison labor
Traits: Often unpaid or underpaid, performed under incarceration
Fun fact: The orange jumpsuit gave this color its name, but the real issue is ethical: prison labor produces billions in goods, yet workers may earn pennies per hour.
Pink-Collar
Typical jobs: Teachers, nurses, child care, retail and service
Traits: Emotionally demanding, historically feminized, essential yet underpaid
Fun fact: Coined in the 1970s to highlight how women’s work was devalued, and still is. These are the backbone jobs of society.
Purple-Collar
Typical jobs: IT support, trades supervisors, engineering techs
Traits: Hybrid of white- and blue-collar, usually requiring licenses or certifications
Fun fact: They’re the glue that holds the tech + tools together. Not flashy, but often irreplaceable.
Rainbow-Collar
Typical jobs: All kinds! This refers to LGBTQ+ workers in every sector
Traits: Identity-based, not task-based
Fun fact: Studies show LGBTQ+ workers are overrepresented in nonprofit, arts, and education fields. Rainbow-collar is more about community visibility than specific job titles or roles.
Red-Collar
Typical jobs: Government employees, civil servants, military bureaucrats
Traits: Public sector, often unionized, deeply structured
Fun fact: “Red” refers to red ink on budgets, symbolizing government spending. In China, it also describes Communist Party officials embedded in private businesses.
Yellow-Collar
Typical jobs: Writers, designers, filmmakers, creative directors
Traits: Art meets tech; skilled in both aesthetic and software
Fun fact: Still gaining traction as a term, meant to reflect the creativity + code combo common in digital media today.
Scarlet-Collar
Typical jobs: Sex workers, adult entertainers
Traits: Often stigmatized, sometimes criminalized, rarely protected
Fun fact: The term nods to “The Scarlet Letter” and society’s ongoing discomfort with sex work, despite it being one of the oldest (and often most profitable) professions in the world.
Class, Gender, and the Future of Work
At first glance, these collar colors might seem like harmless labels… maybe even just quirky sociology trivia. But look closer, and you’ll see how each color carries a deep social meaning. The spectrum reflects who does what kind of work… and who gets credit, compensation, or dignity for doing it.
- White-collar roles are still framed as the “default” for success. They’re considered clean, intellectual, and professional.
- Blue- and pink-collar work remains essential, but it is often undervalued and underpaid.
- Gray- and purple-collar jobs reveal how messy modern hybrid work has become.
- Scarlet- and orange-collar labels expose uncomfortable truths about who we exclude from workplace data collection and protections entirely.
- Rainbow- and lavender-collar terms show how identity can shape the kinds of work people end up in, whether by choice, culture, or classic systemic bias.
In a way, the collar colors function like a socioeconomic map. Not just of job types, but of opportunity, respect, and risk.
Identity, Opportunity, and Power in the Workplace
This isn’t just academic. How we label jobs affects how we value them, and how we treat the people who do them.
It shapes EEO Employment policy. Guides hiring decisions. And it plays a part in who gets promoted, who gets protected, and who gets left out entirely.
Consider this:
- Why do “green-collar” jobs feel and sound more future-forward than “pink-collar” ones, even when both are essential?
- Why is “gold-collar” aspirational, while “black-collar” suggests something dirty or dangerous?
- Why is no one lobbying for better benefits for “scarlet-collar” or “orange-collar” workers, even as we profit from their labor?
These labels are much more than just colorful metaphors, they’re mini mirrors of systemic inequality. And if we want a fairer, more inclusive workforce, we have to think about who gets which collar… and what color it is.
So… What Color Are You Wearing?
Chances are, you don’t wear just one. You might be white-collar by day, pink-collar by personality, and dreaming of a green-collar side hustle. Or maybe you’re in a purple-collar job that blends code and customer care while identifying with the colors of the rainbow-collar community.
And that’s the point. This whole spectrum of intersectionality reminds us that work is more complex than any one label. Still, it can be helpful to pause and ask yourself:
- What kind of work do I do?
- What kind of work do I value?
- What kind of work does society value?
- And how does all of that shape how I see myself?
