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Census to create thousands of temporary jobs in Bay area

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By MICHAEL SASSO

msasso@tampatrib.com

Published: November 13, 2009

TAMPA - If you're looking for a job and you like dropping in on people, you might be a good fit for one of at least 4,000 local jobs coming open for U.S. census workers.

The U.S. Census Bureau is going on a hiring spree in advance of the 2010 census. The agency has four offices in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties and expects to hire 1,000 to 1,200 people for each office.

Most of the jobs entail visiting homes throughout the Tampa Bay area and asking residents a series of questions about the number of people in the household and demographic information. The bureau hopes most people will send in their census forms this spring, but it will need throngs of census takers to visit the homes of people who don't respond, said Pamela Page-Bellis, a bureau spokeswoman.
Wages vary from office to office. At Hillsborough's two offices, for example, census takers will earn $14.50 an hour, and they will earn $13.25 an hour at the two Pinellas offices. The jobs may last several months, Page-Bellis said.

For information, people can call 1-866-861-2010 or visit the bureau's Web site at www.2010Censusjobs.gov.

The 2010 census will be the first one since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That, along with fears of home intruders, could make it harder to conduct the census, as many people these days don't open their doors to strangers.

"There's a new feeling in the community," she said. "A lot of us have gotten a lot more afraid, a lot more cautious."

Reporter Michael Sasso can be reached at (813) 259-7865.

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