Job testing set for U.S. Census hiring temporary workers

Testing is set for short-term census jobs available in Wilkes County as the U.S. Census Bureau gets ready for the 2010 count of every person in the United States.

Sessions for applications and testing are set for Saturday, November 14, at 11 a.m. at the Mary Willis Library; again on Tuesday, November 17, at 2 p.m.; and Thursday, November 19, at 10 a.m. said area recruiter Carl Cox at a meeting of the Washington City Council.

Cox told the Washington City Council that a good census count is essential to getting the most funding from state and federal sources. "To make that count, we need good people, and we're testing in Wilkes County this week. We'll be hiring 1,000 to 1,500 over these seven counties," Cox said, "and we're paying from $9 an hour up, plus mileage."

The part-time and full-time temporary employees are needed immediately for short-term assignments in spring 2010. The government's website, www.2010censusjobs. gov, says these short-term jobs "offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training, and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work. Best of all, census takers work right in their own communities."

The site says that census taker jobs are excellent for people who want to work part-time, those who are between jobs, or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community.