Blue-collar Boomerang
Workers returning to their blue-collar jobs
Example
Hopefully, the blue-collar boomerang is good for the economy
Agreed. My son is going back to his mechanic job, and I don't want a boomerang kid
Worker leaving their blue-collar job then returning like an actual boomerang
Related Slang
| The Great Resignation | People quitting their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Quiet quitting | Only doing the minimum requirements for a job |
| Covid | COVID-19 |
| WFH | Work from home |
| Career cushioning | Searching for a new job while employed |
| Rage applying | Applying to open job positions out of spite for your current job |
| Digital nomad | A person who performs their job online while traveling |
| Boomerang kid | An adult who moves out of her parents' home but then moves back in |
Take the pop culture acronym challenge
Blue-collar boomerang refers to a wave of workers returning to blue-collar jobs they previously vacated due to covid. The trend gained prominence in January 2023 as economists predicted that many of the jobs blue-collared workers started during covid would be terminated in 2023, leaving the workers to return to their previous jobs.
As covid emerged in 2020, many blue-collar workers left their jobs (typically lower-educated jobs with manual labor or hourly compensation) for fear of contracting the coronavirus. Many of these workers pursued lower-entry white-collar jobs (higher-educated, less labor-intensive salary jobs) that emerged in the tech and finance sectors. However, as the economy took a downturn in 2023, many white-collar jobs were cut, pushing many workers to return to their previous blue-collar jobs.
The boomerang in the name comes from the flight path of an actual boomerang when a person throws it away from themselves, and then it returns. Also, blue-collar boomerang is one of several economy-related terms birthed from covid, including "The Great Resignation" and "quiet quitting."