Monday, February 01, 1999
Census officials can't find any takers
Agency willing to pay $11 an hour
BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Census officials preparing for the 2000 count in Hamilton County are having a tough time hiring people.
A robust economy is making it hard to recruit temporary Census Bureau workers, even at premium pay.
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CARE TO COUNT?
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Those interested in census jobs can call the bureau's toll-free national line, (888) 325-7733, or the Cincinnati office, 381-5908.
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Officials hoped to have 232 workers checking addresses this past week. They had 39. They're supposed to be done by the end of February and fear they can't meet their deadline.
“One of our biggest obstacles is that we still need so many people,” said Cynthia King, Census Bureaucommunity partnership specialist.
To be competitive, the census is paying $11 an hour in Hamilton County for jobs that pay $8 an hour elsewhere.
The census also is competing with private businesses and others that can offer jobs that last longer, according to Mary Groen, the bureau's Cincinnati district office manager, and prospects are turned off by the idea of trudging from residence to residence.
Weather interfered
The Cincinnati Census office was set up in October and began getting ready for the big count in spring 2000.
Not only was the local economy a problem, so was the weather ... in Detroit. Cincinnati hiring is overseen by Detroit, and snow paralyzed operations in that city in January. To catch up, Cincinnati received authority to do its own hiring beginning today.
According to the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services (OBES), Hamilton County had a 2.9 percent unemployment rate in December, the latest month for which figures are available. The jobless rate locally is well below the 3.9 percent Ohio rate and 4.3 percent national figure.
Fierce competition
“There just are not a whole lot of folks sitting out there that you can immediately put into these jobs,” said David Garick, OBES communications director.
Such low rates create fierce competition for workers. Fast-food restaurants are paying $7 to $8 an hour.
The Census Bureau is advertising for workers, and Ms. King has set up testing centers at some churches to find them.
On Jan. 18, the census office began a six-week project verifying addresses throughout the county. It is one of several key preparations made before questionnaires are sent in spring 2000.
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