In capitalist countries, industrial workers, farm workers, service workers and other workers who are mainly engaged in manual labor are mostly wearing blue overalls, so they are called blue-collar workers. In contrast, workers employed by capitalists as managers, suppliers and technicians, such as medical personnel and teachers, mainly engage in mental work. Because of their good working conditions and the need of necessary social communication, they are neatly dressed, and the collar of white shirts has become the symbol of these people, so they are called white-collar workers.
Recently, two new terms, red collar and new collar, have appeared. In western countries, the secretarial staff engaged in typing, filing and daily reception in institutions, enterprises, schools and scientific research departments are mostly young women in their prime who like to wear red clothes. They are called red-collar workers. The so-called new workers refer to young and middle-aged workers aged between 20 and 40. They are young and strong, but they are often regarded as a relatively independent class because of their junior qualifications, low wages and some special interests. In capitalist society, blue collar, white collar, red collar and new collar are all under the control and exploitation of capitalists or state machines as the primary capitalists. No matter how they work-physically or mentally, they are similar in that they are all used by the bourgeoisie to exploit surplus value. Judging from the relationship between people and the means of production, even white-collar workers who have higher wages and even participate in some management work, on the whole, they are still proletarians, not middle class.