Attention paid to blue collar workers as a source of trained and trainable candidates for nonmanual jobs will provide moderate dividends for modest inputs of time and effort. (PT)

A new injury index by occupation indicates that laborers had injuries at a level almost four times the average while operatives and craftworkers incurred injuries at about one-and-one-half times the norm. Professionals and clerical workers were subject to injuries at a level about one-fourth the average. (CT)

Discusses a research project exploring the thought it takes to do physical work, the cognitive processes involved in various blue collar and service occupations like waitressing, hairstyling, plumbing, welding, industrial assembly, and the like. Considers the way occupations are categorized, defines intelligence, and thinks about learning and…

A study of 2,489 men and 1,070 women who work in Midwestern factories suggests that women's reactions to work are formed in ways that contradict traditional gender role interpretations of the relationship of women to paid work. There are gender differences in the formation of work attitudes that are consistent with the feminist strand of the…

Analysis of data from the Displaced Worker Survey 1988 showed that (1) longer written notice more than doubled the proportion of white-collar workers who move directly to new employment; (2) informal notice improves male white-collar workers' chances of avoiding unemployment and reduces male blue-collar workers' average spell of unemployment. (SK)

A study of 1,200 white-collar and 1,436 blue-collar workers with less than postsecondary education showed that migrant and immigrant workers were not significantly associated with joblessness among native workers. Changes in the foreign-born composition of an industry sector were associated with increased unemployment for native workers. (SK)

The study aimed to correlate the performance of Pohnpei Campus freshman students in the College of Micronesia-Federated States of Micronesia during the fall semester 2009 to students' socio-demographic characteristics, parents'/guardians' socio-demographic characteristics, and school characteristics. The Student Survey Questionnaire gathered data…

The relationship between job scope and job satisfaction was examined for a sample of urban, predominantly blue-collar, employees. Incumbents in sixteen jobs provided data on job characteristics (N=164) and job satisfaction (N=593). Rank-order correlation coefficients were computed between mean job scope indices and mean job satisfaction levels for…

A training approach developed by Management Technology Strategies makes blue-collar employees responsible for their own learning. The adaptable system follows three phases: (1) data and design; (2) documentation; and (3) training. The organization provides trainers, tools, and resources, but employees must be proactively involved in using them.…

Discusses the barrier between white-collar and blue-collar workers and the problems that arise when one makes a move from one to the other. Suggests that often a mentor is what prompts people to move from blue- to white-collar positions. (JOW)

Discusses the dichotomy between new wealthy and not-so-wealthy people. Points out that the distance between the top and bottom tiers of income distribution has grown significantly since the 1970s. Looks at the reasons for the increase and what can be done about it. (JOW)

Data from the Worker-Establishment Characteristics Database demonstrate that (1) interplant sex segregation in U.S. manufacturing is substantial, especially in blue-collar occupations; (2) female managers tend to work in the same plants as female supervisees; and (3) interplant sex segregation accounts for a substantial portion of the male-female…

A study that examined factors associated with organizational commitment among 64 blue-collar workers found that the following were positively and significantly related: promotion satisfaction, job characteristics, communication, leadership satisfaction, job satisfaction, intrinsic and extrinsic exchange, and intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.…

Japanese management practices have attracted much interest in the United States. The use of quality circles (QCs) common in Japan, has been considered a promising approach to improving Americn workers' productivity. A quality circle is made up of workers from the same group who meet to discuss quality problems, recommend solutions, and implement…