New Collar Boom

Extracted Attributes

• Focus

  Practical capabilities and technical competencies

• Coined By

  Ginni Rometty, former IBM CEO

• Definition

  A significant shift in the workforce driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and technology, creating a demand for new skill sets.

• Distinction

  Differs from white-collar (college education required) and blue-collar (physical labor) jobs

• Key Drivers

  Advancements in AI and technology, student debt crisis, skilled talent shortage, re-industrialization, onshoring

• Prioritizes

  Skills and certifications over traditional four-year degrees

• Median Salary

  Exceeding $159,000 (according to Resume Genius research)

• Primary Goals

  Address the nation's skilled talent shortage and support the re-industrialization of America through onshoring

• Required Skills

  Human judgment, creativity, relationship management, strategic thinking, empathy, complex problem-solving

• Impact on Workers

  Empowers workers with AI, giving them 'superpowers'

• Associated Industries

  Digital technology, healthcare, engineering, technology, software

• Impact on Software Development

  Democratizes software development through new coding practices like 'Vibe Coding'

Timeline

• During the Trump Administration, the AI Action Plan was developed by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as a strategy for the United States to lead in the global AI Race, emphasizing innovation, infrastructure, and fostering a dominant AI ecosystem. (Source: Related Documents)

  2017-2021

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, many blue-collar workers used the period to learn new skills, contributing to a labor revolution and enabling transitions to new careers, including traditionally white-collar fields. (Source: Web Search Result 2)

  2020-2022

• Companies like Hadrian and Gecko Robotics exemplify the trend by building AI-powered factories and leveraging robotics for infrastructure maintenance, driving re-industrialization and addressing skilled talent shortages. (Source: User Summary)

  Ongoing

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) updates its policies to allow loans for AI adoption, supporting small businesses in this new economy. (Source: User Summary)

  Ongoing

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The common collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), also commonly called eastern collared lizard, Oklahoma collared lizard, mountain boomer, yellow-headed collared lizard, and collared lizard, is a North American species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The common name "collared lizard" comes from the lizard's distinct coloration, which includes bands of black around the neck and shoulders that look like a collar. Males can be very colorful, with blue green bodies, yellow stripes on the tail and back, and yellow orange throats. There are five recognized subspecies.

Web Search Results

• 5 Reasons Why 'New-Collar Careers' Are On The Rise In 2025

  The term "new-collar careers" was first coined by IBM’s former CEO Ginni Rometty to describe positions that prioritize skills and certifications over traditional four-year degrees. Unlike white-collar jobs that require a college education or blue-collar work involving physical labor, these roles focus on practical capabilities and technical competencies. Today, new-collar positions offer median salaries exceeding $159,000, according to research by Resume Genius, representing a fundamental shift [...] Five documented forces are reshaping career advancement, creating opportunities that favor skills-based workers over traditionally credentialed candidates. ## 1. Student Debt Crisis Fuels New-Collar Careers Growth Average student debt reaches $37,000 per graduate, according to federal data. Meanwhile, 41% of recent college graduates work in positions that never required a degree to begin with, creating a compelling economic case for alternative pathways. [...] ## 5. AI Strengthens Demand Of New-Collar Careers Artificial intelligence is on the rise, but it is increasing the demand for roles that require human judgment, creativity, and relationship management. Resume Genius excluded positions with automation risk above 50% from their analysis. The remaining roles require strategic thinking, empathy, and complex problem-solving that machines cannot easily replicate.

• The New Collars - Oliver Wyman Forum

  New Collars are blue-collar workers who used the pandemic to learn new skills so that they could find better jobs. Their transcendence of single-collar careers is helping lead a labor revolution. While the entire world felt the effects of the coronavirus to some degree, the impacts were not equal. Many blue-collar workers lost jobs as the pandemic began. When working, they clocked hours in person—putting themselves and their loved ones at risk—while they watched white-collar employees migrate [...] New Collars... Our research shows that New Collars are flipping the pandemic script from one of desperation and stagnancy to hope and dynamism. They are dedicated to and capable of shaping a future where they feel fulfilled, secure, and appreciated, investing their money and their time in that promise. 1 “I don’t hate my job—I’d gladly stay if they’d let me work from home sometimes and gave me the raise I deserve.” [...] The majority of New Collars believe they have an excellent shot at a new career, that their resources are more than enough, and that they are the only ones standing in their way. Their optimism is founded in historical proof — 22% of New Collars already have transitioned to a new job and about half of those jobs are in traditionally white-collar fields. This means that a monumental global shift is underway: About one in 12 pre-Covid blue-collar workers have already shifted to white-collar work.

• New-collar jobs explained: Everything you need to know - TechTarget

  Getty Images # New-collar jobs explained: Everything you need to know ## Individuals are reshaping their preparation for roles, moving beyond the four-year college degree. New-collar jobs prioritize skills, unlocking opportunities for overlooked talent. Amanda Hetler Companies are looking to a diverse talent pool to find workers without college degrees and implementing a skills-first hiring approach to hiring. These workers are known as new-collar employees. [...] With the shortage of labor, companies are turning to skill-based hiring for a larger talent pool. The exodus of white-collar workers in the past few years involved forced layoffs, retirement and the Great Resignation, which caused an upheaval in employment. Companies might not have the time to wait for people to earn degrees to fill vacant positions, and they are learning that people can be trained in their positions in various paths different from the college degree. [...] Individuals with the necessary soft skills or drive to learn through practical experience or occupational training are considered new-collar employees. Many industries are changing with data science, artificial intelligence and cloud computing, and four-year degrees might not be able to keep up with the shifts in technology. Most new-collar jobs involve digital technology and fall into four categories -- healthcare, engineering, technology and software.

• [PDF] Igniting a Second Blue-Collar Boom with Tax Cuts in the President's ...

  The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut taxes for working families, increased competitiveness, and helped ignite a blue-collar boom with record-high income gains.

• Trump administration says blue-collar wages rising fastest in more ...

  Lavorgna added, "And we're clearly building upon that now, thanks to the president's policies and the One Big, Beautiful Bill and when that's passed will solidify the supply-side growth initiatives that the president's put forward and that the Treasury secretary is working to implement. And the blue-collar boom will broaden and get even bigger." [...] Counselor to the Treasury Secretary Joe Lavorgna, during an appearance on Kudlow on Tuesday afternoon. Larry Kudlow made the point that wages are rising faster than prices and asked, "Why is this happening now?" "Larry, we we saw it when I worked for a very important person that was the director of the National Economic Council. You can guess who that was, and we saw a historic boom in blue-collar wages," Lavorgna said. He was alluding to Kudlow who headed up the NEC from 2018 to 2021. [...] #### Trump vs US courts: Watch out for a 'game of chicken,' Payne says # Trump administration says blue-collar wages rising fastest in more than 50 years ## The gain in wages thus far represents the highest increase in pay for blue-collar workers since 1968 Counselor to the Treasury Secretary Joe Lavorgna unpacks pro-growth policies under President Donald Trump on 'Kudlow.' ## The blue-collar boom will broaden, Treasury official says