The 2010 Census is coming, and they want you to work for them. The pay is decent, the hours are flexible, and the work is close to home. What could be better in the midst of an economic crisis where layoffs are a daily event and people are looking for income to keep debt at bay? For laid off employees or many others who need a supplemental income and a flexible schedule, it works.

Mass Hiring

"We're hiring like mad," John Hameline of the Census Bureau in Burlington, VT said. For the next 20 or so months, Hameline and other Census Bureau employees across the nation will be busy. "The hiring starts now and the Census won't be complete until October of 2010."

The U.S. Census Bureau plans on hiring hundreds of thousands of workers for local, part-time and full-time, temporary positions that range from 20-40 hours per week, depending on the job.

Hameline says the first round of hires will be for address canvassing, where census takers hit the street to prove and update the Census master address list.

A mass mailing of 130 million questionnaires will go out in the spring of 2010. Later, census employees will start focusing on interviewing, collecting information from those who didn't fill out the short form, which is said to take about 10 minutes to complete.

"It's important that we have qualified people who know their communities to help develop our confidential address list," said Kathleen Ludgate, regional director for the Boston Regional Census Center, which supports 2010 Census operations in New England, upstate New York and Puerto Rico. "These important jobs offer good pay, allow flexible hours and permit people to work in their communities, for their communities. Census jobs count in many ways."

What Is the Census?

Every 10 years, the Census Bureau is required by the U.S. Constitution to count each person residing in the United States - both citizens and non-citizens. This includes all 50 states, Washington, DC, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The form will provide a snapshot of the U.S. population, determining how many people reside within the nation's borders, who they are and where they live.

Census Employment Benefits

• Good pay - set on a county-by-county basis
• Paid weekly
• Flexible daytime hours
• Paid training
• Reimbursement for authorized mileage/other expenses
• Community/civic involvement
• Working close to home

Purpose

Used to allocate over $300 billion in federal and state funds every year, the Census data is used to define legislature districts, school district assignment areas and local funding for communities, such as where to provide services for the elderly, where to build new roads and schools, or where to locate job training centers.

Positions

In addition to Address Listers, other jobs with the Census include:

• Office clerks
• Recruiting assistants
• Crew leaders
• Field operations supervisors

Requirments

The job requirements? Applicants must be U.S. citizens, age 18 and older, and pass a basic aptitude test. Bi-lingual positions may not require citizenship. Most jobs also require a valid driver's license and use of a car.