Introduction to the World of New Collar Jobs
If you want to excel in the workplace, you must keep up with all the technological and other changes taking place. The rapid technological change will impact future jobs and the workplace. McKinsey Global Institute estimates that up to 375 million workers worldwide may need to switch occupational categories or learn new skills by 2030 because of technological changes. But is it possible to keep up with the pace of change when there is so much that is changing? If you are unemployed or underemployed, how do you learn about which jobs are in-demand? I am sure that you have heard of white and blue-collar jobs. And perhaps you have even heard about pink collar jobs, but have you heard of new collar jobs?
Surprisingly, I first learned about new collar jobs just a few weeks ago. When I saw the term, I was curious and had to find out more. Apparently, the term new collar has been around for a while — since November 2016. IBM’s CEO, Ginni Rometty, introduced the concept. This post will cover the basics of ‘new collar’ jobs. You will learn what is a new collar role, the new collar jobs act, categories of new collar jobs, the skills needed to get them, and a few companies that hire for this new type of job.
Contents
Definition of New Collar Jobs
New Collar Jobs Acts
Why New Collar Job Are Needed
New Collar Jobs Categories
Common Skills Needed for New Collar Jobs
Companies That Hire New Collar Workers
Where You Can Learn Skills for New Collar Jobs
What is the Definition of New Collar Jobs?
A new collar job is in the technology industry and does not require a college or university degree. It however requires technical and soft skills acquired through nontraditional educational paths. In other words, these positions will require vocational training or online courses on technical topics. It is the skills and not education level that define these jobs. New collar jobs span multiple disciplines.
New Collar Jobs Act
I found an explanation of the New Collar Jobs Act on a US government website that I would like to share with you.
“The New Collar Jobs Act fosters job growth by providing federal stimulus for re-education of workers in cybersecurity. It will help our country by:
- Creating jobs in economically-distressed regions supporting the infrastructure and
- industrial sectors.
- Educating workers in early to mid-career stages to be qualified for higher paying, sustainable jobs.
- Addressing a critical shortage of specialized workers with operations technology and cybersecurity knowledge.
- Establishing a workforce to provide information security for critical infrastructure and manufacturing organizations making our nation safer.”
Why New Collar Jobs Are Needed
There is a talent shortage in the tech sector – an increasing gap between unfilled jobs and the people to fill them. Analysis shows that many of those jobs do not require a traditional college or university degree. However, they require skills you can develop at institutions that offer vocational training and certification. Hence the need for this new type of jobs – new collar jobs. If you ever aspired to work in the tech sector, now you can by getting the training needed for new collar jobs.
Attending a coding or other tech bootcamp can get you the skills you need for a new collar job. This is the perfect opportunity for blue collar workers who have lost their jobs to automation to upskill. A new collar job is intellectually challenging and pays better than traditional blue collar job.
New Collar Job Categories
Although New collar jobs span multiple disciplines, there are four main categories of these jobs. In the table below, you will see the categories as well as some of the kinds of jobs that fall into those categories.
When you look at some of the new collar roles in the table above, especially the ones in healthcare, you will notice that many of them have been around for a long time. What is new is how the roles have evolved into one that is now more technical in nature. Many jobs are being automated, but you still need someone to operate and manage the new technology.
Now having said that there are four main categories of new collar jobs, it is worth mentioning that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is disrupting manufacturing. The sector is facing a skills shortage, and many of the unfilled positions require higher tech skills. It's now common practice to have robotics and automation as part of the manufacturing process. And the Internet of Things is creating large amounts of data that must be analyzed and stored. This is creating new collar jobs in the sector. The positions require more training than what's required for blue collar jobs, but less than what's required for the typical white collar job. This is something to think about.
Common Skills Needed for New Collar Jobs
If you are looking for a new collar job, the following skills in the job ad will give you clues. You can acquire many of these skills through non-traditional educational paths. And if you are a self-starter, you can learn the skills on your own. There are many online institutions that offer the courses for free, but if you are looking for a certificate, you will have to pay a price. It is worth noting that several companies are partnering with educational institutions so that students will develop the relevant skills that the organization wants.
- Angular JS
- JavaScript
- Java
- User interface design
- User experience
- User interface design
- Design development
- Python
- Ruby
- HTML5
- Troubleshooting
- Hardware
- MySQL
- PHP
- Software development
- Relational database
- JQuery
- Cloud computing maintenance
- Security analysis and testing
- Data mining and statistical analysis
- Data storage engineering and management
- Computer science
- Software development
- Help desk support
- Computer literacy
- Field service
- Vendor management
- Technical
- Mobile technology
- Customer service
- Communications
How many of the skills listed above do you have? Besides the skills that are mentioned, new collar roles require soft skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and emotional intelligence. These are among the skills that you will learn during my Strategic Reading Challenge.
Have you read?
This Reading Challenge for Adults Locks in Future Jobs – Learn How!
You can also buy a copy of the Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Creativity, & Decision-Making Action Guide.
Some Companies That Hire New Collar Workers
- IBM
- GitHub
- Intel
- Delta Airlines
- Toyota
- General Motors
- Boeing
- Dow Chemicals
- Spectrum Healthcare Resources
- Vistronix
- Ladue Pharmacy
- Mercer LLC
- Ernst and Young
- Microsoft
- AT&T
- Fujitsu
- Swarovski
- Potomac Photonics
Where You Can Learn Skills for New Collar Jobs
There are many places where you can get the training for new collar jobs. I included a few since my focus is often on self-directed learning, you will see that below. Click on the links to find out what skills you will learn when you register with any of the organizations.
Open Culture: This is a one-stop shop with a listing of where you can learn specific courses. Computer Science, Engineering, MOOCS from Great Universities.
Final Thoughts on the World of New Collar Jobs
This blog post is meant to introduce you to the world of new collar jobs. I hope that I answered your questions. If you are looking to switch careers, a new collar role may be the answer. I frequently talk about continuous learning here, so even if you are not interested in any of these types of jobs, it may be worth your time to learn some of the skills mentioned in this post. You can take the courses at your leisure.
If you are not interested in getting any of the skills for new collar jobs, please consider participating in the Strategic Reading Challenge to learn:
- Complex Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
- People Management
- Coordinating with Others
- Emotional Intelligence
- Judgement and Decision Making
- Service Orientation
- Negotiation
- Cognitive Flexibility
Read This Reading Challenge for Adults Locks in Future Jobs – Learn How! to learn more. It costs only US $147.77 to dive into the reading challenge. You get many tools and resources to make learning the skills more efficient and effective. Get 5 friends to join with you! I own a few of the books below and plan to read them shortly. Click on the links to read more about the books on Amazon. Which two do you commit to reading?
The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation
Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (The MIT Press)A Practical Education: Why Liberal Arts Majors Make Great EmployeesThe New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World In FluxHow to Answer Interview Questions: 101 Tough Interview Questions
Further Reading
Hot New-Collar Jobs and the Skills You Need to Get Them
IBM's concept of ‘new collar jobs' could be vital in an automated future
Learning these in-demand skills could add thousands of dollars to your annual salary
