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Grey-collar refers to the balance of employed people not classified as white- or blue collar. Although grey collar is sometimes used to describe those who work beyond the age of retirement,¹ its most widely accepted meaning refers to occupations that incorporate some of the elements of both blue- and white-collar, or are completely different from both categories. Examples of Grey Collar industries:

• Farming, fishing, forestry and other forms of agribusiness
• Health care, aged care, child care and the personal service sector
• Protective services and security
• Food preparation and the catering industry
• High-tech technicians²
• Skilled Trades, Technicians, etc.

Grey-collar workers often have associate degrees from a community college in a particular field. They are unlike Blue-Collar workers in that Blue Collar workers can often be trained on the job within several weeks whereas Grey-collar workers already have a specific skill set, i.e. electrician, plumber, welder, CDL truck driver.

The field which most recognizes the diversity between these two groups is that of H.R. and the insurance industry. These different groups must be insured differently for liability as the potential for injury is different.

References

Look up gray-collar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.