- Education and certification play a key role in recruiting for blue collar jobs. Technical skills, security awareness, and the ability to adapt to new technologies are key to meeting the demands of rapidly evolving sectors.
- The white collar job market is slowing significantly, with employment in sectors like technology and finance at its lowest level in years.
Blue collar: eldorado for narrowly specialized
In many industries we are observing a slowdown and a drop in employment, but more traditional sectors seem to be immune to the economic crisis, which has not spared, for example, technology companies. Our clients, e.g. industrial ones, are doing great, practically all the time expanding their teams. What is more, the rates of specialists, e.g. for specific positions, often exceed the rates of high-tech employees – says Róża Szafranek, president of HR Hints.
White collar: slowdown and loss of stability
High-paying positions are seeing the biggest decline, leading to a phenomenon known as the “Big Stay,” where workers remain in their jobs despite being dissatisfied with their current working conditions because of limited opportunities for change.
White-collar workers typically enjoy greater job stability and income predictability with fixed annual salaries. However, growing concerns about automation and AI replacement have many workers feeling their jobs are at risk.
Differences in approach to recruitment
The differences in recruitment between blue and white collars result from the fact that in the case of the former, we often have "sudden" recruitments, i.e., some investment starts and there will be a need for specialists and experts for a year. In the case of white collars, on the other hand, we more often look at the employee's potential and fit to the culture – in order to avoid high turnover, which is associated with costs – comments Róża Szafranek.
In sectors such as construction and manufacturing, there is a huge demand for blue-collar workers. Employers in these industries reported 94.2 thousand vacancies to labor offices in July 2024, an increase compared to the previous year. The work often requires specialist technical skills, such as operating machinery, knowledge of construction techniques or the ability to work to rigorous safety standards, and these specialist skills are highly rewarded.
In turn, in sectors such as technology and finance, hiring of new employees has fallen significantly. Often in response to global economic challenges, companies are slowing down the pace of expanding teams, abandoning projects, and cutting costs. High-paying positions in these industries are experiencing the greatest decline, leading to increased competition for available jobs and the need for exceptional qualifications and experience.
The service industry also shows differences in the demand for blue collar and white collar workers. While the demand for manual workers in services such as transport, logistics and technical service is growing, recruitment for office and administrative positions is rather conservative.
