This updates a Jan. 3 article.
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to hire hundreds of full-time, temporary employees in Metro Detroit for the national population count taken every 10 years.
According to Detroit at Work, a city training and job-search agency, "there will be over 1,000 jobs available in the Detroit Census office, with pay starting at $19 an hour."
Recruiting and screening aren't affected yet by the federal budget impasse keeping about 380,000 workers off their jobs.
"The Census Bureau has six to eight weeks of carryover funding to stay afloat during a partial government shutdown," according to the government affairs director at an affiliated organization, the Population Association of America. "There are staff working at the Census Bureau as we speak on activities related to the 2020 census planning," the official, Mary Jo Hoeksema, tells the Federal News Network.
The first positions to be filled, apparently by this spring, are for recruiting assistants "responsible for promoting Census 2020 field jobs, communicating with the public, conducting presentations and more."
By June, the federal bureau plans to start hiring census takers to "conduct field work which includes walking door-to-door, following up on household surveys and working on address listings."
A Census Bureau site says jobs open "soon" and also include office staff and supervisors. Any citizen over 18 can apply. English fluency is required and bilingual speakers "are encouraged to apply."
Here's how to apply online:
- Submit a profile and application.
- Former service members can claim veterans’ preference with documentation. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has details here.
- If you hit a snag, call (855) 562-2020 and select option 1 for technical assistance or option 3 to speak with the local census office.
Qualified applicants will be called for phone interviews. "If a job offer is extended, you must then complete a background check and [paid] training," says the bureau, which adds:
It may be several weeks or several months before hiring begins in your area.
The good news is that your application can remain in the applicant pool for the entire 2020 Census cycle. . . Whenever the Census Bureau has openings in your area, there may be potential for your application to be considered.
Locally, "each Detroit at Work Career Center will have a designated Census 2020 jobs advocate" in coming months, that city agency says in a recent posting. "If you visit one of our three career centers, someone will be available to talk to you about the positions available."
Here's where the free servce is available during weekday business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 7 p.m. Thursdays:
- SER Metro: 9301 Michigan Ave. (Southwest)
- Samaritan Center: 5555 Conner (east side)
- Northwest Activities Center: 18100 Meyers (Bagley)
-- Alan Stramm
