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New Collar Jobs: The Latest Jargon Trend
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น Austria /Culture & Society

New Collar Jobs: The Latest Jargon Trend

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • The term "new collar jobs" is emerging, focusing on skills and learning ability rather than formal qualifications.
  • This concept moves away from traditional classifications like white-collar and blue-collar jobs.
  • The column critiques the trend of creating new jargon for evolving job market concepts.

The latest buzzword in the management and business world is "new collar jobs," a term coined by those adept at crafting jargon for every minor trend. These individuals are described as "word jugglers with a special collar size."

These are word jugglers with a special collar size. Those who invent a term for every little trend.

โ€” Michael KรถttritschDescribing the creators of new business jargon.

This new classification emphasizes skills and practical abilities over formal qualifications or educational background. The "new collar" is metaphorically woven from a willingness to learn and the capacity to implement new knowledge. This approach aims to shift the focus from the traditional white-collar (office workers) and blue-collar (manual laborers) distinctions, which have also been expanded to include other colors like gray, pink, red, and brown.

The new collar is woven from a willingness to learn and the ability to implement.

โ€” Michael KรถttritschDefining the characteristics of 'new collar jobs'.

While the article acknowledges that collar distinctions don't inherently make one job better or worse, it playfully suggests that collars offer a sense of comfort, allowing one to "open the top button and take a breather" when feeling constricted. The piece, a "Sprechblase" (speech bubble) column by Michael Kรถttritsch, head of the Management & Career section at "Die Presse," weekly dissects and scrutinizes buzzwords and phrases from the business lexicon.

The classification by collar has its advantages: if it gets too tight, you can open the top button and take a breather.

โ€” Michael KรถttritschA metaphorical take on the flexibility of job classifications.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.