Indeed, the percent of men who were employed in white-collar occupations rose from less than 5 percent in 1850 to nearly 18 percent by 1900.40 The demand for white-collar workers continued to increase in the early twentieth century with the further expansion in corporate size and the new focus on activities outside traditional production.
Let me now move on to a second case study, that of non-life insurance – typically motor and home insurance. Whereas for many years’ motor insurance premiums were low and falling, they have risen much of late.