State Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith announces 1,500 U.S. Census jobs for New Yorkers. The jobs are in Broome, Chemung, Allegany, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates Counties.
One-Stop Career Centers across the nine counties are holding tests for these jobs. She encouraged all residents interested in the jobs to take the test and apply.
Every 10 years, the Census Department counts the people in each state. This count, or census, helps decide how many representatives we will have. It also determines how the federal government allots funds.
For each person counted in the nine counties, the state receives some $1,500 in federal funds per year over the next 10 years. For every person not counted, the area will lose $15,000 in federal funds over the same period.
Census takers play a vital role in counting New Yorkers. They find households, check address lists, interview people and record answers. They usually work in their own neighborhoods or communities, most often at night and on weekends. In the nine counties, the average pay for a Census taker is $11 per hour. The average workweek runs between 25 and 30 hours.
Commissioner Smith said, "For the unemployed, Census jobs could be the bridge to a permanent position. These are meaningful jobs with an important purpose for our state and nation. We at the Department of Labor are proud to showcase these jobs and offer testing at One-Stop Career Centers across the state."
New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez said, "There was an undercount in 2000, in which more than 200,000 New Yorkers were not tallied. We need every New Yorker to participate, so that we achieve an accurate count this time around. All the better, the Census Bureau is hiring local workers to assist with the count, as every additional New Yorker counted will in turn ensure the state receives much needed federal funding for social services and infrastructure improvements. New York has a diverse population, so these jobs play an important role in the state's effort to achieve a complete count."
Last year, Governor Paterson signed Executive Order No. 30, to establish the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee. Led by the Secretary of State, the Committee tells people about the 2010 Census and to help get all New Yorkers on board.
To find out more about testing dates and locations applicants should call 1(866) 861-2010 to reserve a spot at the test.
The census practice test is available at:
http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/documents/Practice_Test.pdf
