White collar
Refers to employees whose job entails, largely or entirely, mental or clerical work, such as in an office. The term white collar work used to characterize non-manual workers, but now it refers to employees or professionals whose work is knowledge intensive, non-routine, and unstructured. Historically, in the West, clerical workers wore white shirt collars but manual workers wore blue.
DEFINITION of 'White Collar'
A working class that is known for earning high average salaries and not performing manual labor at their jobs. White collar workers historically have been the "shirt and tie" set, defined by office jobs and not "getting their hands dirty" (or their white collar dress shirts).
Blue collar
Refers to employees whose job entails (largely or entirely) physical labor, such as in a factory or workshop. For a piece of work to be termed blue collar, it should be directly related to the output generated by the firm, and its end result should be identifiable or tangible. Historically, in the West, manual workers wore blue shirt collars but clerical workers wore white
DEFINITION of 'Blue Collar'
A working-class person historically defined by hourly rates of pay and manual labor. A blue collar worker refers to the fact that most manual laborers at the turn of the century wore blue shirts, which could hold a little dirt around the collar without standing out.