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Below targets, hiring ongoing for SWPA census workers

By Gideon Bradshaw for The 4 min read
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In the gig economy, it sounds almost too good to be true – a job that includes flexible hours, pays a multiple of the minimum wage and offers a chance to do public service.

The boss, one Uncle Sam, is easy to find. And he’s hiring near you, with most counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania below estimates for the staffing needed to conduct the 2020 Census. The federal government is looking to hire hundreds of thousands of workers in the 50 states and Puerto Rico for the effort, which will ramp up next month.

“What that means to the immediate area where you are is thousands of jobs that are available,” said Susan Licate, a spokesperson with the regional census center in Philadelphia.

Households will start receiving detailed instructions in the mail in about a month, in time for Census Day on April 1.

The bureau tells people who complete the census to answer questions based on how many people are in their household on that date.

For the first time in the 230-year history of the national survey, the officials are hoping to have most Americans complete the forms online this year.

The agency needs an influx of temporary employees for the once-a-decade undertaking, which affects how hundreds of billions of federal dollars are divvied up every year to state, county and local governments. Applicants must be 18, but don’t need to meet an educational requirement.

In Washington County, the bureau says it’s hired two-thirds of the staff it needs. In Fayette, hires so far are at a little less than three-fifths of the target. In Greene, it’s hired a little more than half the goal.

Allegheny is the closest in the region to staffing projections, with about nine-tenths of the required staffing level.

It’s not just in Southwestern Pennsylvania where its been hard for officials to attract workers.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the bureau had been behind on nationwide staffing goals since the fall. If the situation doesn’t improve, “it may have difficulty hiring enough staff to complete its upcoming operations within scheduled time frames.”

Bureau Director Steven Dillingham testified during a congressional hearing on Wednesday that the government is looking to hire between 300,000 and 500,000 people to do field work. So far, 2.3 million people have applied.

“These numbers reflect our goals for recruiting that build in the contingency of approximately five applicants for each expected hire,” Dillingham said. “The recruiting goal is also based on projected self-response rates. Overall, we remain confident that we will have the workforce in place to get the job done.”

The bureau did raise pay rates late last year to help boost recruitment amid the lowest unemployment rates in decades.

The amount varies based on location, often from one county to the next. For census takers – those who gather data in the field from households, such as by surveying households that don’t respond to the initial mailing – the hourly wage is $22 for that position in Washington County.

In Fayette, the workers, who are also known as enumerators, make $16 an hour. In Greene, their wage is $21.50. Those in Allegheny make $23.50 an hour.

Licate said because of its variable hours and short-term nature, the work tends to suit stay-at-home parents, students and others who can use the money.

“It is designed to work around your schedule,” she said.

To the extent possible, the bureau tries to put people to work in their home areas – a practice she said improves response rates significantly.

Licate encouraged people who are interested to apply at any time.

“We just say, apply now,” she said. “We are ready to put people to work.”

More information about applying for census jobs can be found at 2020census.gov.

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