Census Bureau seeks hundreds for jobs in Pa.

At a time when layoffs and government cutbacks dominate the daily news, there's a glimmer of hope in the local economy.

The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting hundreds of people in central Pennsylvania to fill full- and part-time temporary jobs for the 2010 Census.

Census-takers are needed to go out into the community and update address lists, conduct interviews with residents and load the information into hand-held computers. Most positions require a valid driver's license and the use of a vehicle.

''We need to make sure we capture the changes in communities in the past 10 years,'' said Monica Davis, bureau spokeswoman.

The best people to canvass a neighborhood are people who know it, so local residents are key to counting the population, Davis said.

''They can be ambassadors for the census right in their own neighborhood,'' she said.

Census jobs are good for retirees, college students, people who want to work part time, people who are between jobs or anyone who wants to earn extra money, Davis said.

The bureau's regional office in Pittsburgh opened in December, and the bureau will open additional offices in Altoona and Johnstown in the fall.

In Pittsburgh, 40 employees will provide office support as clerks, administrative assistants and supervisors. The remaining positions are in the field, and employees will be working throughout a 19-county area, which includes Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Huntingdon counties.

The agency is hoping to attract about 3,000 applicants in western and central Pennsylvania under the assumption that only 1 in 5 actually will end up taking a job. Nationally, the bureau plans to temporarily hire about 1.4 million people during the next year.

Jay Occhiogrosso, area manager out of Philadelphia, said bureau recruiters will hire at least 300 employees to cover the Altoona and Johnstown areas. Officials need six crews of 20 to 25 people to cover Blair County alone, he added.

''This is a good time to be recruiting, but you'd be surprised,'' he said. ''It's difficult to hire this many people, even with the current economy. We're actively looking for applicants and trying to get the word out.''

The bureau is offering positions with flexible hours, paid training, mileage reimbursement and the opportunity to work near home. Some of the office positions start at $9 an hour, but the field positions start at $11.75 an hour, Occhiogrosso said.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. resident and pass a reading and writing test. The test is administered at various locations, including the Bellwood Municipal Building, Altoona Area Public Library and CareerLink.

Field workers, also called enumerators, verify addresses for the mailing of the 2010 census next spring and then knock on doors of those who don't respond. The jobs will start next month and end when the census is over.

Besides filling jobs, the bureau also is trying to get more people to cooperate with the census, which is required every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution.

Otherwise, the state could lose hundreds of millions of federal dollars, officials said. Votes also are at stake because congressional district lines will be redrawn after the census.

Occhiogrosso said the hiring effort is on schedule, but the big push will come in the next six weeks. Most of the hiring so far has been for the managers and recruiters who will form the backbone of the local operation.

''We're in full-scale recruiting mode, and there's still plenty of time for people who are interested to take the test and fill out an application,'' he said. ''By no means have people missed the boat on this.''

Interested applicants should call the census hot line at 866-861-2010 or visit www.census .gov.

Member Comments

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brutis
01-16-09 9:48 AM »Report Abuse	What is it the government does not already know about us? With data banks keeping every move, every penny spent, and darn near where our money is spent, where we work, our political affiliations, and what time we poop, there is no longer a need for a census. Unless I am missing something here.

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