Blue-collar worker is a traditional and outdated term that describes a job requiring manual labor or trade skills, usually performed outside an office setting. The term derived from the darker clothing blue collar workers tended to wear (historically), in contrast to white collar workers who traditionally wore a white shirt and tie to work (historically).  Fields commonly associated with blue-collar workers have includes construction, manufacturing, maintenance, mining, farming, filmmaking, electronics, energy, and aeronautics.

Blue collar workers who perform manual labor have typically been paid by the hour. Many blue-collar jobs now command high salaries because they require specialized skills and training.  Examples of newer blue-collar jobs include factory workers, power plant operators, power distributors, welders, nuclear technicians, elevator installers, and subway operators.

In its research on blue-collar workers, the Pew Research Center defines the term as people who do manual or physical labor in their jobs and work in one of five industry sectors: