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More than 500,000 temporary and part-time jobs are available nationwide as the Census Bureau ramps up hiring to conduct the 2020 census. A number of those positions will be filled here in West Volusia.
“Recruiting has been extended to March 1,” said Cecilia Ortiz, the recruiting manager in the bureau’s Seminole County Area Census Office, which oversees the once-a-decade head count in Volusia County. “If we don’t get enough applicants, the deadline could be extended.”
Most of the jobs will be for enumerators, the census takers who will go door to door to collect pertinent household information. Ortiz said most of the available openings are in rural areas, such as near Osteen and in northwest Volusia, although there may be some openings in more urbanized areas.
“The whole northwest Volusia area is very rural and a difficult area to count,” Ortiz said. “We want enumerators who know the local areas, so we are hoping to get northwest Volusia residents to count there.”
Paid training begins in March, with the first day of work scheduled for April 1. The work is expected to last until midsummer.
According to the bureau’s website, census takers will interview household residents and update address lists. Prior to the census, census takers used maps and address lists to determine if the addresses are correct. Then through July, they will visit households that haven’t responded to the census, speaking with residents and using electronic devices (such as smartphones and tablets, issued by the Census Bureau) to collect census data.
Schedules are flexible and dependent on the area. Many of the positions require the employee to work in the evenings and on weekends.
The pay is $16 an hour during training, and the compensation varies once on the job, depending on what hours are worked, Ortiz said. Census takers can work 20 to 40 hours, she said.
For those who work 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, the pay remains $16 an hour. But those who work 6-9 p.m. on those days will be paid $17.60 an hour. Sunday pay is even higher — $19.20 an hour from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and $20.80 an hour from 6 to 9 p.m.
In all cases, enumerators are paid 58 cents per mile for driving from home to the work area and back home.
To be eligible for a 2020 census job, some of the requirements are that you must be at least 18 years old, have a valid Social Security number, be a U.S. citizen (although noncitizens may be hired in certain circumstances), have a valid email address, and be able to speak, read, and write in English (although bilingual applicants are needed and are encouraged to apply).
For a full list of requirements, go to 2020Census.gov/jobs.
