The cost of living is too high here for blue-collar employees.

"The ministry of economic affairs has expressed concern about the impact if blue-collar employees decide to stop working."

Occidental officials said the captives were blue-collar employees under contract with the company.

Those with unions were more likely to provide notice for both blue-collar and white-collar employees than those that had no union employees.

At 30, he considers himself a blue-collar employee on a faster track than laborers of his father's generation.

He predicted devastating impact of automation on blue-collar, retail and wholesale employees.

Nissan opted for youth, with an average age of 29 for both white- and blue-collar employees.

Men who had formerly been blue-collar employees went into the drilling business, or related oil-field services.

Efforts cannot be limited to getting more work out of blue-collar employees, the study said, or more automation in offices.

Most members of the Civil Service union, which represents more than half of all state workers, are blue-collar or clerical employees.