The U.S. Census Bureau will hire as many 100 persons in Texas County as it sets up shop for the official population count, a ritual that occurs every 10 years.
Hortencia Wilcox, a U.S. Census Bureau official in Springfield, said employees will be hired in the county to ensure everyone gets counted. Hirings will likely occur in February through May.
The census openings include on-the-job training. No experience is necessary. Beginning salary is $8 – $12 an hour. Hours are flexible.
Most of the jobs will be working in neighborhoods verifying addresses, but there also are office positions available for filings and training. Jobs last typically last eight weeks, but supervisory positions can last into the middle of 2010, when a new crop of workers will be needed to go door-to-door to try to get responses from those who have not returned their census forms. Residents should begin receiving their paperwork beginning in March 2010.
Persons interested in a job can call 866-861-2010. Follow the prompts to get connected to the proper office. A time will be set up to take a multiple-choice test, which includes 28 questions on reading, basic math, following instructions and map reading. Applicants have 30 minutes to take it. Typically, four out five people pass it on the first try. Additional information can also be obtained at www.2010censusjobs.gov.
The U.S. Constitution mandates a population count every 10 years. The information is used to determine the number of congressional seats each state gets as well as how to distribute more than $300 billion a year in federal funds to states and communities. Following the 2000 census, $388 million in federal grants shifted to states with the biggest estimated population increases based on the new numbers.