Everyone’s Talking About…New Collar Jobs

Everyone’s talking about “New Collar” jobs and so they should. With the Australian unemployment rate the worst it’s been since 1994 it’s good to see there are hot pockets of positions that are understaffed and skilled people are still highly sought after. The differentiator between traditional “white collar” and “new collar” jobs is they generally don’t need a degree but are highly specialised and need specific skills. But it’s not just technical skill; the most sought after people are the ones that have developed the technical as well as the soft skills and they’ve often developed them through non traditional educational pathways. The term new collar was originated by IBM’s CEO Ginni Rometty.

Typically new collar roles are found in the technology space but can also be in mortgage and the health industry too. Listed below are some of the roles currently in high demand. 

• Anything in AI
• Applications Developer
• Systems Administrator
• Data Centre Technician
• Software Engineer
• Project Manager
• Technical Support Representative
• Security Analyst
• Computer Support Specialist
• Web Developer
• .NET Developer
• Field Service Engineer
• Physical Therapy Assistant
• Medical Assistant
• Cable Installation Technician
• Cyber Security or Privacy Specialists
• In manufacturing – anyone in Robotics
• Service Delivery Analyst
• Pharmacy Technicians
• Ultra Sound Technicians

These careers should have an ongoing need because companies of all kinds are increasingly reliant on online tools and data.

The skills and keywords that appear most frequently include JavaScript, HTML, “troubleshooting” and “customer service” in ads for these roles. This is important to note because skills, not education level are what define these careers.

We’ve had so much bad press around youth unemployment during Covid and for years our young people have been encouraged into university pathways. It’s nice to see skillset, work ethic and work experience rather than formal education defining these high growth careers. At the end of the day, that’s what makes someone hirable: being able to produce high-quality product.


Written by Erica Westbury Managing Director at Norwest Recruitment & Southwest Recruitment.