1/18/10 - Census jobs available
by SCOTT BAUGHMAN, "The Daily Courier"
FOREST CITY — Job seekers, students and retirees are all being targeted by the 2010 U.S. Census, looking for part time and full time workers to help count heads.
With pay rates set at around $15.25 an hour, the compensation is promoted as a big draw for the temporary assignments.
“Most of the jobs will be in five to 10 week increments,” said Dave Harris, the census office manager in Gastonia who handles Rutherford County. “As we go through the phases — there are about six different operations — normally the better producers we’ll try to roll them from operation to operation. Since these are short operations the people that don’t perform well don’t last long.”
Harris said the main point of hiring local workers is to capitalize on their familiarity with their own areas.
“You are usually on your own, but also close to your local community,” Harris said. “This week we’re doing 59 test sites in Cleveland, Gaston, Rutherford, Polk and Lincoln counties. That is what we’re managing out of this office.”
The testing is important, as taking the written exam is the first step in being considered for one of the positions.
“People have to be tested first before they can be in contention,” said Kerry Giles, marketing manager for the Rutherford County Economic Development Commission. “The central office is the one in Gastonia, but people have been doing testing at the Employment Security Commission in Forest City and some other locations.”
The 2010 census won’t be about going door-to-door and asking questions. About 300 million packets will be mailed out to each of the 300 million households in America. Only after packets are not returned or if more information is needed will workers have to contact citizens.
“The packet will go out in March,” Harris said. “Around the first of March they’ll get a postcard saying the census form is coming and around March 15 they’ll get the form and the last week of March they’ll get a postcard reminding them to send it in if they haven’t yet. This is the shortest form that has been used in my lifetime. It is 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes. The big thing about it is it will determine the disposition of federal funds for the next 10 years.”
The positions also include mileage reimbursement at 50 cents a mile. Those interested in testing can check out the schedule and other information at www.2010censusjobs.gov or call the office at 1-866-861-2010.
Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaughman@thedigitalcourier.com.
-Why is the census important? Every ten years the county of citizens in the country helps provide information not only for government programs, but is used by all manner of companies and organizations to support research or make important decisions like where to build new facilities or where to focus their services.
“Just like we can’t survive without roads and bridges, the country doesn’t function well without an updated Census to distribute funds to areas that most need them and to support community decisions about their own future,” said Robert M. Groves, Director of the United States Census Bureau, in a press release at the Census Web site.
Census information also affects the numbers of seats a state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“People from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more,” Groves said. “When you do the math, it’s easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure. More services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone.”
The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like:
- Hospitals
- Job training centers
- Schools
- Senior centers
- Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects
- Emergency services
With pay rates set at around $15.25 an hour, the compensation is promoted as a big draw for the temporary assignments.
“Most of the jobs will be in five to 10 week increments,” said Dave Harris, the census office manager in Gastonia who handles Rutherford County. “As we go through the phases — there are about six different operations — normally the better producers we’ll try to roll them from operation to operation. Since these are short operations the people that don’t perform well don’t last long.”
Harris said the main point of hiring local workers is to capitalize on their familiarity with their own areas.
“You are usually on your own, but also close to your local community,” Harris said. “This week we’re doing 59 test sites in Cleveland, Gaston, Rutherford, Polk and Lincoln counties. That is what we’re managing out of this office.”
The testing is important, as taking the written exam is the first step in being considered for one of the positions.
“People have to be tested first before they can be in contention,” said Kerry Giles, marketing manager for the Rutherford County Economic Development Commission. “The central office is the one in Gastonia, but people have been doing testing at the Employment Security Commission in Forest City and some other locations.”
The 2010 census won’t be about going door-to-door and asking questions. About 300 million packets will be mailed out to each of the 300 million households in America. Only after packets are not returned or if more information is needed will workers have to contact citizens.
“The packet will go out in March,” Harris said. “Around the first of March they’ll get a postcard saying the census form is coming and around March 15 they’ll get the form and the last week of March they’ll get a postcard reminding them to send it in if they haven’t yet. This is the shortest form that has been used in my lifetime. It is 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes. The big thing about it is it will determine the disposition of federal funds for the next 10 years.”
The positions also include mileage reimbursement at 50 cents a mile. Those interested in testing can check out the schedule and other information at www.2010censusjobs.gov or call the office at 1-866-861-2010.
Contact Baughman via e-mail at sbaughman@thedigitalcourier.com.
-Why is the census important? Every ten years the county of citizens in the country helps provide information not only for government programs, but is used by all manner of companies and organizations to support research or make important decisions like where to build new facilities or where to focus their services.
“Just like we can’t survive without roads and bridges, the country doesn’t function well without an updated Census to distribute funds to areas that most need them and to support community decisions about their own future,” said Robert M. Groves, Director of the United States Census Bureau, in a press release at the Census Web site.
Census information also affects the numbers of seats a state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“People from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more,” Groves said. “When you do the math, it’s easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure. More services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone.”
The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like:
- Hospitals
- Job training centers
- Schools
- Senior centers
- Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects
- Emergency services
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