noun phrase · neutral
white-collar worker
UK/ˌwaɪtˈkɒlə ˈwɜːkə/US/ˌwaɪtˈkʌlər ˈwɜːrkər/WHITE·COL·lar WORK·er
An employee who does professional, managerial or clerical work rather than manual labour.
Examples
“Many white-collar workers switched to remote work during the pandemic.”
“White-collar workers often face different pressures from blue-collar workers, such as long hours at a desk.”
“The firm employs both white-collar and blue-collar workers.”
Band 8 sentence
“A shift from manufacturing to service sectors has increased the proportion of white-collar workers in urban areas.”
Collocations
- white-collar jobs
- white-collar crime
Word family
Common mistakes
white collar worker→white-collar worker
He is a white-collar→He is a white-collar worker
Say it for a higher band
5office worker→6professional staff→7+white-collar worker
Synonyms
office worker
professional employee
Easily confused
office worker
“As an office worker, she handles administrative tasks for the department.”
Related words
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In Work & Career
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