Census Bureau to hire hundreds in E. Washington

Several hundred jobs soon will be available in Eastern Washington to help the federal government meet its constitutional responsibilities. The U.S. Census Bureau opened a Spokane office in November to prepare for the 2010 population count. Although the counting won’t start until April 1, 2010, much of the work will start in March as the Census deploys workers to locate all housing units, said Brian Kennedy, local Census office manager. The Census will use the data from the address canvassing when it mails out the seven-question Census form next year. Households that don’t respond to the mailing will be visited by Census workers. Kennedy said he expects the Census to employ more than 1,000 workers in Eastern Washington. Many of those jobs will last about two months, but many will continue longer. Openings pay between $11.75 and $14.75 an hour plus mileage expenses, said Kennedy, who made a presentation about the count Monday to the Spokane City Council. Despite the poor economy, the Census has had a slow start to hiring because of snow-related difficulties, Kennedy said. The Census is used to determine how the 435 U.S. representatives are distributed. Many government programs also use the data to decide how to divvy federal resources. Information about jobs is available by calling the Spokane Census office, 1636 W. First Ave., at (509) 570-1220.