Census to give Illinois employment a short-term boost
By Cynthia Dizikes, Tribune reporter

January 25, 2010


In the midst of rising unemployment, at least one employer is preparing for a temporary hiring binge: the U.S. Census Bureau.

The agency expects to employ roughly 51,000 people in Illinois this year — including about 20,000 in Chicago and the six-county area — to help with the 2010 census, which will be used to allocate more than $400 billion in federal funding, apportion congressional and state districts, and determine where new hospitals, schools and businesses will be needed.

The jobs will generally be only two- to three-week assignments, but will pay $14.25 to $18.25 an hour.

"Conducting the census is a huge undertaking," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., at a news conference Monday in Chicago. "Hundreds of thousands of census takers are needed nationwide."

Census officials in Illinois are hoping to attract at least 100,000 applicants statewide, although the exact number of positions will not be known until about March, when questionnaires are mailed back. So far, the state has received about 50,000 applications, said Jennifer Sciacca, U.S. Census Bureau regional recruiter for Illinois and Wisconsin.

"We will be hiring based on the workload and return of census forms," said Sciacca.

The part-time and full-time jobs are mainly to help collect questionnaires that have not been filled out. Workers are usually sent into their own neighborhoods to help people complete the census form, answer questions and conduct brief personal interviews. The job will include one week of full-time paid training.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, speak English and be U.S. citizens, or non-U.S. citizens with work authorizations who have unique bilingual skills. Bilingual skills are preferred in certain areas, according to census officials. Convicted felons are not eligible.

Monday's event follows a push by local charities and community activists to reverse historically low census participation in Illinois.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., on Monday encouraged all immigrants — regardless of legal status — to complete their questionnaires. He also tried to assure them that the information would not be given to immigration officials.

"There has been some hesitation in our immigrant community to be counted and to join in the census," Gutierrez said. "Our immigrant community needs to know that anything they share, anything they share with the Census Bureau, cannot and … will not be used against them."

To apply, people need to call 866-861-2010 and ask where the nearest testing center is located. They must then take a test that measures skills such as filing, directions, spelling and math, said Muriel Jackson, spokeswoman for the Chicago Regional Census Center.

Applicants eventually are evaluated on a range of criteria including where they live, test scores, language skills and schedule flexibility. Veteran status also will be considered. There are no educational requirements to apply. Applications are now being accepted. Most of the hiring will take place this spring.

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