Thousands Apply For Temp. Census Jobs

Knoxville - With the ailing economy, many are looking for temporary work with the U.S. Census Bureau as it gears up for the 2010 census.

Marty Coffman, manager of the Knoxville census office, told The Knoxville News Sentinel that more than 7,000 people applied for 1,100 jobs as address canvassers in the spring.

The Census Bureau will hire another 1,000 or more workers in the Knoxville area next spring to hand deliver questionnaires in rural sections and visit homes that didn't return questionnaires.

Some of the recent employees were students and retirees, but B.J. Welborn, spokeswoman for Knoxville's regional census office in Charlotte, N.C., says a number were also out of work.

The positions pay $15 an hour.

"This time, we've had more people willing to work full time because they are out of work," Welborn said. "Some of these people are overqualified for the position, but it makes things run smoothly. And things are getting done faster."

The address canvassing, which is the first step in the census process, finished ahead of schedule, Welborn said.

Coffman said a small group of fewer than 200 people will be working in the Knoxville area this summer to identify group quarters, such as housing units, prisons, dormitories and nursing homes.

"People want these jobs even if they are temporary because they pay well and they can pay the bills," Welborn said.

According to 2000 census data, 65 percent of households in Tennessee returned their questionnaires on time. The forms are mailed to houses in March, and households have until April 1 to return them. If the forms aren't mailed by then, a census employee visits the home.

The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marian Islands and American Samoa.

------

Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com