The US Census Bureau is hosting community job hiring events as part of its National Recruiting Week, where census officials engage with people interested in positions and the application process.
“The bulk of the jobs are going to be available in the field. We’re talking Census takers and enumerators,” said Jennifer Dublin with the New York Regional Census Center. “Those are the people that actually go door to door and ask people their information. Unlike census’ in the past, this time we’re actually going digital. So, a census taker will have a smart phone to collect the data. The phone will give them the addresses and all of the information that they need to collect the data. No more paper forms, no more lugging things around. The census taker will have a device in which they will use to enumerate at the household.”
Census job rates are competitive, says Dublin. In Essex County, hourly pay starts at 21 dollars per hour.
“However, through the state of New Jersey the pay rates range from $16.50 to $22 per hour,” she said.
So, what are the past experience or qualifications required to snag a position
“The only thing you need to do is be 18-years-old, but even 17-year-olds are ok,” Dublin said. “The application doesn’t ask about work history, just simple demographic information. Then you take a short assessment. Once that’s complete, you’re automatically in our eligible applicant pool.”
The Census job fair at Newark Public Library is one of many types of employment initiatives hosted by the city.
“We have done over 38 job fairs throughout the city and we’re going to continue into the new year to make sure Newark residents get hired,” said Jaqueline Quiles, Newark Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement. “The importance is that we need federal funding to continue to move this city forward. We need to get better hospitals, new schools, public safety, all funding we need to move the city forward. We want to make sure that Newark residents get hired because the more people from Newark that get hired, the better it will be for our count.”
For some applicants, the census job and it’s pay are as important as how it could affect the community.
“That’s how they fund the government and give to states and cities. People wonder why we’re underfunded, it’s because people don’t cooperate,” said Beverly of Newark.
Census officials are banking on individuals that care about their community to ensure everyone is counted during the 2020 census.
“People are willing to talk to and respond to people that they are familiar with or that they know.” said Jennifer Dublin with the New York Regional Census Center. “It’s very important for the census to try to recruit people who live and work in their communities. We’re looking for people of various backgrounds, ages, and also that speak various languages.”
If you missed your local Census job fair, you can apply for positions at 2020Census.gov/jobs.