Want to make $17.50 an hour? Census Bureau hiring hundreds in Thurston County
Looking for a gig with flexible hours? The U.S. Census Bureau is looking for you.
The bureau is hiring hundreds of census takers in Thurston County to help carry out the 2020 Census, which will be used to determine representation in Congress and how more than $675 billion in federal money is distributed to states and local jurisdictions.
Census takers are responsible for following up at homes where residents haven’t responded to mailed questionnaires, according to a press release from the bureau. The temporary hires will visit those households and count the people living there in person.
The gig is expected to last eight weeks beginning in mid-May 2020 and pays $17.50 per hour, media specialist Toby Nelson told The Olympian. According to the Census 2020 website, those wages are paid weekly and some work-related expenses are reimbursed for employees in the field.
Nelson told The Olympian there’s no set number of hours census takers will work: While the bureau is happy to take on full-time workers for the job, he said the flexibility makes the opportunity “particularly suited” to college students and recent retirees.
To be eligible for a job with the 2020 Census, applicants need to:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a valid Social Security number
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Have a valid email address
- Pass a background check
- Complete an application
- Commit to completing training
- Be available to work flexible hours
- Not have another job that creates a conflict of interest
- Be able to speak, read, and write in English
Most of the jobs, the website states, require employees to have a driver’s license and access to a vehicle, as well as access to a computer with internet to do the required training. Veterans who served on active duty may be given preference over non-veterans, if the required documentation is submitted.
For more information, call 1-855-JOB-2020 or visit 2020census.gov/jobs.
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 9:01 AM.
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