Warschauer, et. al

What are the new categories of workers (as opposed to the old categories of blue-collar and white-collar workers)? What do workers in the new categories do?

“In the new economy, as explained by Reich, the principal division is no longer between blue- and white-collar workers but rather among three new categories: routine production workers (e.g., data processors, payroll clerks, and factory workers); in-person service workers (e.g. janitors, hospital attendants, taxi drivers); and symbolic analysts (e.g. software engineers, management consultants, strategic planners). Employees in all three categories may use computers or the Internet in their jobs, but the first two do so in routine ways (e.g. inventory checks, ordering products), whereas the last make use of ICT for analysis and interpretation of data, creation of new knowledge, international communication and collaboration, and development of complex multimedia products.” (p22)