The “white collar” looks a little worn to today’s millennials and Gen Z, and the benefits of wearing blue hold fresh appeal. Generations of lawyers, accountants, and managers have sported crisp white-collared shirts, ties, and suit coats into office buildings, while electricians, welders, and mechanics have worn blue-collared denim shirts to conceal daily grime. Since 1998, Spec On The Job has delivered workforce solutions to blue-collar industries, and the company is noticing a shift in perspective. “People are tired of chasing the American dream by attending college, racking up school loans, and working long hours to climb the career ladder for decades,” says Jason LaMonica, the company’s COO. “Many are stepping out of the rat race to try jobs that don’t involve cubicles, computer screens, and office politics. Instead of aspiring to prestige, they are opting for freedom and work/life balance.”
Blue-collar jobs pay well
“Blue-collar trades are booming,” reports LaMonica, “and, in many cases, they offer better pay than positions requiring college degrees.” Many of today’s highest-paying US jobs are in the construction and transportation sectors. For example, the Department of Labor predicts growth in the carpentry trade at around 24% through 2022 and expects average yearly wages of $90,000.
In terms of wages, skilled blue-collar jobs compete favorably with white-collar roles, and hourly pay proves more beneficial to salaries in many respects. Traditionally, white-collar jobs have found ways to push workers to the limit by adding “other duties as assigned” to already long work days. Blue-collar jobs compensate workers with overtime and shift differential, or extra pay, for working outside of regular business hours.
Blue-collar jobs are stable
During economic downturns, people realize just how precarious their jobs are. Today, companies tighten their belts and sacrifice marketing and accounting positions on the chopping block. They save even more by hiring overseas virtual assistants to perform clerical roles.
“Blue-collar jobs are not prone to downsizing or outsourcing,” observes LaMonica. “Skilled trade workers such as plumbers and electricians must be on site to perform their work, and that work is always in demand.” In addition, when blue-collar workers transition, they move from one job to another with their current skill set and do not usually need more training.
Blue-collar jobs offer benefits, flexible hours, and entrepreneurial advancement
While wages and job stability are the most obvious benefits to blue-collar industries, there is more to consider. Blue-collar workers tend to receive better benefits than their white-collar counterparts. Their health insurance, retirement plans, and paid vacation days are preferable to those offered to white-collar workers. In fact, certain sectors, such as sales and marketing, leave employees with few benefits or none at all.
The opportunity for promotion is another consideration enticing people to blue-collar jobs. While white-collar workers climb slippery career ladders based on connections and status, blue-collar workers take control of their advancement. Many of these jobs are in sectors where motivated entrepreneurs can start their own companies. After getting a start in the industry, truck drivers, electricians, and construction workers often have the skills and knowledge to venture out on their own paths.
Another often overlooked bonus to taking a blue-collar job is flexible hours. Many blue-collar jobs allow workers to be self-employed and work around family commitments. “Flexibility is not the norm in white-collar careers,” says LaMonica. “When blue-collar workers come home, the nature of their job allows them to leave work at work and fully engage in their personal time with friends and family.”
For so long, Americans venerated the idea of working behind desks, keyboards, and filing cabinets. Today, many are opting for the satisfaction of working with their hands. Blue-collar jobs offer a different kind of prestige. Their allure is the freedom, independence, and fulfillment that so many white-collar jobs lack.
Original Source of the original story >> Staffing for Blue Collar Work
