What Are Grey-Collar Jobs? (Examples Of Grey-Collar Workers)

Grey-collar jobs are careers that fall somewhere between blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs. This means that grey-collar workers perform some level of physical labor but also engage in knowledge work that requires technical expertise.

If you’re looking to learn which careers fall under the label of “grey-collar,” or if you’re a job seeker in search of upgrading from a blue-collar job, keep reading to see examples of grey-collar jobs. You’ll also find the pay, responsibilities, and require skills and education to land these grey-collar jobs.

Key Takeaways:

The top three grey-collar jobs are airline pilot, firefighter, and paralegal.
A grey-collar worker is between the traditional white-collar and blue-collar jobs meaning they are almost office jobs, but their roots are traditionally blue-collar.
The different colors of collar jobs are:
- White-collar jobs
- Blue-collar jobs
- Pink-collar jobs
- green-collar jobs
- Gold-collar jobs
- Grey-collar jobs

grey Collar jobs

In This Article

Skip to section

15 Grey-collar jobs
What is a grey collar worker?
Job classifications by collar color
Grey-collar workers FAQ
Final thoughts
Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs

15 Grey-collar jobs

You can start right out of high school and begin earning money immediately while you learn a trade. Then, as you get more skilled and experienced with on-the-job training, you can start advancing.

As you become educated and earn certificates, you’ll see a change in pay grades. This is because you’re moving from blue-collar toward white-collar and ending somewhere in the grey-collar realm. The following are examples of grey-collar jobs:

Airline Pilot
Average Annual Salary: $67,000

A grey-collar job with big earning potential, airline pilots work for a specific company transporting people or cargo. It’s not considered a white-collar job because you don’t work in an office and you’re wearing a uniform, but it also doesn’t quite have the labor element of a standard blue-collar job.

You’ll need a bachelor’s degree, and then you’ll have to go to pilot school and complete ground training, flight training, and put in a certain number of hours of in-plane flight to become an airline pilot.

Skills needed:
- Communication and teamwork skills
- The ability to make quick decisions
- Able to work in high stress situations
- Understanding of math and physics
- Situational awareness
- Strong multitasking skills
Find Airline Pilots jobs near me
Firefighter
Average Annual Salary: $39,000

Firefighter jobs are considered grey-collar, thanks to the need for some emergency medical service certification and seriously specialized knowledge.

Firefighters put out fires and rescue kittens from trees, and do everything in between in emergency situations. The work environment can be very dangerous, and they typically have odd, rotating shifts.

Skills needed:
- Strong communication skills
- Problem solving skills
- Physically fit
- First aid knowledge
- Mechanical skills
- Attention to detail
Find Firefighters jobs near me
Paralegals
Average Annual Salary: $46,000

Paralegals are there to support legal professionals. They do not have law degrees but do have specific training, typically in a vocational environment. They prepare for trials, hearings, meetings, and depositions. They’re often in charge of gathering paperwork and organizing findings.

This is nearly considered a white-collar job, since paralegals normally work in offices and where a suit and tie.

Skills needed:
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to multitask
- Organization skills
- Research and investigative skills
- The ability to work as part of a team
- Writing skills
Find Paralegals jobs near me
Stenographer
Average Annual Salary: $45,821

Stenographers sit in a courtroom and transcribe every word that’s said as it’s being said. To do this, they need to pass a certification test. While going to school and earning a degree isn’t necessary, it’s highly recommended.

Learning to operate a stenography machine with skill and ease and to translate the shorthand code is incredibly difficult, so schooling is almost always necessary.

Skills needed:
- Attention to detail
- Active listening skills
- Patience
- Written communication skills
- Real-time transcription skills
- Speed and accuracy
Find Stenographers jobs near me
Clergy
Average Annual Salary: N/A

The clergy has a long history of being educated but not always holding advanced degrees. Today, most clergies do have advanced degrees, and they do a little bit of everything.

They help people, spread their religion, and can even be responsible for managing the bookkeeping of their parish, and might even have to do cleaning and repairs – it all depends on the size of their church.

Skills needed:
- Social perceptiveness
- Active listening skills
- The ability to speak in public
- Reading comprehension
- Instructing skills
- Problem solving
Funeral Director
Average Annual Salary: $41,000

A funeral director is pretty much what it sounds like. This director position requires someone who has a great knowledge of business and marketing and needs to be incredibly skilled at dealing with people during the most traumatic times in their lives.

Skills needed:
- Strong empathy skills
- Problem solving skills
- Communication skills
- Ability to manage distressing and stressful situations with sensitivity and care
- Detailed orientated and organized
- Ability to promptly and accurately execute required legal paperwork
Find Funeral Director jobs near me
Agribusiness Professionals
Average Annual Salary: N/A

Agribusiness jobs deal with agriculture, but instead of growing crops or raising livestock, they focus on management, marketing, and food financing.

There can be hands-on elements of the job and a lot of office and paperwork involved. It’s an interesting field that’s seeing significant growth.

Skills needed:
- Critical thinking skills
- Problem solving skills
- Organizational skills
- Knowledge of how farms work
- Strong leadership skills
- Analytical skills
Chef
Average Annual Salary: $44,000

Being a cook and working in a restaurant can be a blue-collar job and sometimes a pink-collar position. But being a chef, especially a head chef, earns you that grey collar.

This job takes tons of skill and talent, it takes training that can be on-the-job or formal, and your wages can vary dramatically.

Skills needed:
- Willingness to learn
- The ability to multitask
- Being able to work as a team
- Genuine passion
- Great time management skills
- Have an excellent level of physical and mental fitness
Find Chef jobs near me
School Administrator
Average Annual Salary: $57,000

Administrators in schools work in every level of education, from daycares to universities. They may have a background in teaching, but that’s not always required.

Their duties center around hiring, supervising, managing budgets, and maintaining the school district’s reputation in regard to the population they serve.

While these people are typically working in an office, they tend to fall a little lower in pay than other white-collar workers.

Skills needed:
- Excellent organization skills
- The ability to multitask
- The ability to work in a variety of environments
- Verbal and written communication skills
- Strong leadership skills
- Knowing when to ask for help
Find School Administrators jobs near me
Teacher
Average Annual Salary: $46,000

Traditionally, teaching is also classified as a pink-collar job, in fact, one of the best-known pink-collar careers. They can also be considered grey collar workers. They have a bachelor’s degree at least; some even hold advanced degrees.

They’re highly educated and skilled, but they are often not paid as well as white-collar workers with the same education levels. And they don’t work in an office setting. This is why teachers fall into the grey-collar worker category.

Skills needed:
- Enthusiasm
- Strong leadership skills
- The ability to teach
- Verbal communication skills
- Patience and empathy
- Critical thinking skills
Find Teachers jobs near me
Emergency Medical Technician
Average Annual Salary: $40,000

EMTs, EMSs, EMRs, and even Emergency Room Technicians all qualify as grey-collar workers. They certainly have a lot of education and specialized knowledge. Their jobs are very important, but they’re also working with their hands, and they aren’t sitting in an office.

Many medical jobs fall into the grey category, with only doctors typically considered white-collar professionals because of their education level and financial remuneration.

Skills needed:
- Active listening skills
- The ability to work well under pressure
- Problem solving skills
- Communication skills
- Situational awareness
- Compassion
Find Emergency Medical Technician jobs near me
Electrician
Average Annual Salary: $49,000

This job starts off in the blue-collar arena, and it can advance to grey-collar the more years of experience and the more educated the individual becomes. There’s a lot of specialized skill and knowledge required to hold this job.

Advancing to a master electrician means you hold a supervisory role, and you’re now classified as a grey-collar worker and can even be seen as a white-collar one. Especially if your pay goes from hourly to salaried and you have managerial responsibilities.

Skills needed:
- Problem solving skills
- Willingness to learn
- The ability to work independent or with others
- Strong communication skills
- Standard technical electrician skills
- Being physically fit
Find Electricians jobs near me
Plumber
Average Annual Salary: $56,000

Plumbers can start working as apprentices right out of high school and learn the job through classrooms and on-the-job experience.

But if they want to go from blue-collar to grey and make a lot more money, they’re going to need additional certifications, licensure, and years of experience.

Skills needed:
- Mechanical skills
- Problem solving skills
- Manual dexterity and physical strength
- Instructing customers regarding ese and maintenance of systems
- The ability to work with others
- Customer service skills
Find Plumbers jobs near me
Elevator Technician
Average Annual Salary: $38,130

Another job that starts in the blue-collar world and advances the more experience and training you have. This job is often considered blue-collar, but the increasing technical demands and computerization involved are moving it into the grey-collar arena.

Skills needed:
- Mechanical skills/knowledge of power tools
- Ability to read and understand blueprints and diagrams
- Electrical skills/working knowledge of wiring
- Ability to read and understand blueprints and diagrams
- Knowledge of safety protocols and regulations
- Understanding of building codes
Find Elevator Repair Technicians jobs near me
Carpentry Foreman
Average Annual Salary: $56,489

While a carpenter is a blue-collar worker, moving from doing most of the work yourself to a supervisory position can move you into a grey collar job. This means you’ll be doing less hands-on work and more administrative work, putting you in the office sometimes and in the field other times.

Skills needed:
- Critical thinking skills
- Problem solving skills
- Leadership skills
- Understanding of safety protocols
- Decision making skills
- Being able to work well with others
Find Carpentry Foreman jobs near me

What is a grey collar worker?

Someone who has a grey collar job sits in-between traditional white-collar jobs and blue-collar jobs. That means they’re almost an office worker, yet their job roots are traditionally blue-collar occupations.

It’s useful to understand the entire classification system to understand what this truly means.

Job classifications by collar color

As technology advances, more jobs are done by robot technology, and some jobs are phased out entirely. As a result, the collar classification system continues to evolve.

These are some of the more common terms used to categorize occupations, but don’t be surprised if more crop up and if some fade away:

White-collar jobs. As discussed earlier, white-collar jobs are traditionally office jobs. But not all office jobs are white-collar careers. To fit this category, the person holding the job needs to be highly skilled and often holds a bachelor’s degree or more.

They’re also well paid, in general.
Blue-collar jobs. Blue-collar workers have been around since the first jobs started. They’re people who use their skills and physical abilities to do a job.

Typically, jobs that include manual labor, or are in the trades industries, are considered blue-collar jobs. The blue referred to the traditional blue jumpsuits or work shirts that they wore.

The education for these jobs typically involves vocational school, on-the-job training, or apprenticeships. Their pay is traditionally on the lower end of the spectrum, but that’s changing.
Pink-collar jobs. The term pink-collar job was coined around the 1970s and referred to jobs traditionally held by women. Those jobs were specifically: teachers, nurses, and secretaries.

Today that term has evolved to be more inclusive and less gender biased. Now pink-collar jobs are more about people who perform services and work that directly deal with people.
Green-collar jobs. The growing importance of the environment has prompted this as a job classification. Any job that centers around the environment can be termed green-collar.

The catch is, you could be working a traditionally white or blue-collar job, but it deals with the environment. What are you? This is where things are getting more and more complex.
Gold-collar jobs. This is a newer term and refers to people who have jobs that focus on “intellectual labor.” In a way, it’s much like a grey-collar job because it straddles the blue and white-collar line.

But gold-collar workers are incredibly specialized and often technologically trained. They solve complex technical programs and usually work in academic or scientific fields.
Grey-collar jobs. The grey-collar jobs field is expanding because it incorporates a blue-collar job with additional education or certifications, and it earns more money than blue-collar but less than white.

Think of someone like an electrician, who might garner an entry-level job through as an apprentice, but eventually, they take some courses, earn certifications, and begin making more money.

It should be noted that grey-collar jobs sometimes refer to people who are retired and then have reentered the workforce. It’s key to know this, but that’s not the definition that this article focuses on.

Grey-collar workers FAQ

What kind of work do grey-collar workers do?

Grey-collar workers work in healthcare, manufacturing, education, transportation, construction, and law enforcement. Grey collar workers use a mix of physical labor and technical expertise to do their jobs.

While some grey-collar workers can find jobs without a college degree, other grey-collar professions require a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree. Higher education typically unlocks higher wages for grey-collar workers, but on-the-job training, technical know-how, and certifications can also lead to more advanced grey-collar jobs.
How do you attract grey-collar workers?

You can attract grey-collar workers by rebranding the position to emphasize the knowledge work over the physical elements of the job, dropping degree requirements where they’re unnecessary, and by investing in the upskilling of your staff. Grey collar workers do important jobs that require real technical expertise, and emphasizing these elements of the job, along with the potential for job growth, can help attract and retain them.
Are grey-collar workers in demand?

Yes, grey-collar workers are in high demand. As technology improves and becomes more integrated into every profession, many blue-collar jobs are becoming grey-collar jobs. With this increased demand for knowledgeable workers, salaries for these grey-collar jobs are also set to increase in the coming years.

Final thoughts

The American author Upton Sinclair is often cited as the man who coined the phrase, white-collar worker. Whether or not that’s where this classification system began, it does make sense.

At least, it did back in the 1920s when he wrote about it. White-collar referred to the people who worked in offices wearing suits and white, button-down dress shirts.

Since then, the classifications have expanded and blurred. They’re not quite as clear-cut as they once were, but the term grey-collar worker came from that system.

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.

Create Resume