Temps only, but thousands will be hired for census

Temps only, but
thousands will be hired
for census

BY Meredith Mazzilli
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Monday, February 1st 2010, 9:05 AM


Thousands of temporary workers will
be hired citywide by the U.S. Census Bureau.

With the 2010 census underway, a job helping to
collect personal information from your neighbors
might seem like an easy way to make money.

But while mass hiring for the temporary jobs will
take place citywide, competition is tough and job
availability varies widely by neighborhood.

As many as 100,000 people are likely to be

interviewed for jobs at 32 local offices in the five
boroughs and some surrounding counties, said
Tony Farthing, regional director of recruitment for
the U.S. Census Bureau.

Between 500 and 1,000 people will be hired for
each of the offices. The pay is from $14.50 to $20
an hour, depending on the position. Visit census.
gov and enter your zip code to find the next hiring
event. Info also is available at (866) 861-2010.

"These are temporary positions, one to three weeks
mostly - don't quit your day job," Farthing said.

Preference is given to applicants who live in the
same neighborhood as the census office.
Candidates need to take a written test; applicants
can take it multiple times to try to improve their
score.

"We're testing every day, seven days a week," said
Vanessa Molina, a manager of census recruiting.

Most positions won't be filled until mid-April.
Hiring at census offices will vary based on the rate
of citizen response - the fewer census forms mailed
in, the more workers needed to follow up to ensure
as complete a count as possible. Data from the
census are used to help decide how billions in
government spending are allocated.

The door to door workers who try to make sure
every person in every household is counted, known
as enumerators, make up most of the hires and work
May through June.

"We're looking for enumerators, clerks, recruiting
assistants, crew leaders and crew leader assistants,"
Molina said. "There is one test for all the positions.
We're going to need thousands."

Get Morning Home Delivery of the Daily News for up to 70% off.
Call (888) 393-3760
Advertisement
172464409389477152592

Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods such
as Park Slope and Cobble Hill have proven among
the most difficult to staff, so job-seeking residents
in those areas may have more luck.

Bilingual candidates also have an edge. The agency
particularly needs workers who can speak Korean,
Portuguese or French.

Farthing noted that applicants who take the test are
scoring better than in past years, perhaps a
reflection of the high unemployment rate, which has
left many skilled workers jobless.

"We used to hire people who were getting scores of
70% to 75%," he said. "If we got someone with a s
core of 80%, we were happy. The way the economy
is, I have more people like you wouldn't believe
getting 100%."

Jason Anno, a 21-year-old student at the Borough
of Manhattan Community College who lives on the
Upper West Side, attended a hiring event on
Thursday.

"I heard about the census hiring from a flyer posted
at school - it seemed like a good way to make
money," he said.

Anno was more interested in administrative work
than canvassing in apartment buildings. "I would
rather not knock on peoples' doors," he said.

Lilia Chelala of Tribeca, who's working as a census
recruiting agent, said, "I'm very happy - I love
giving jobs to people."

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/02/01/2010-02-01_temps_only_but_thousands_will_be_hired_for_consensus_.html.