| 111th Year, 24th Issue | Thursday, January 27, 2000 | Sparta, North Carolina |
The U.S. Census Bureau is preparing to go door-to-door in Alleghany County, looking to hire a number of people to serve as enumerators.
Enumerators will locate addresses and interview household members. According to Elizabeth Perot, a recruiting assistant for the bureau who lives in Sparta, about 138 people will be needed by the end of this month.
"We will start hiring in February and they will be out working within four to eight weeks," Perot said.
The census operation should be finished here by the first of May, she said.
The enumerator positions are slated for about 20 hours per week and will pay $11.25 per hour. Free training will be offered, which will take two or three days, Perot noted.
A crew leader position and two assistant crew leaders will also be hired. The crew leader will make $12.75 per hour and the assistants will make $11.25.
The working hours will be flexible, with most work going on during evenings and on weekends when most residents are at home.
Applicants will be tested at sites around the county, Perot said. The schools are currently being utilized as testing facilities.
The five part test covers clerical skills, reading, number skills, interpreting information and evaluating alternatives and organizational skills. Those who are bilingual are also encouraged to apply, since the counting of the Hispanic population could be assisted by those speaking Spanish, Perot said.
As for the migrant workers and other Hispanic families here, Perot pointed out, "Unless we can count them, we can't get them help."
Many government programs depend upon the counts taken in the census to distribute monies to counties for their residents. Examples of funding based on census data include vital facilities such as road improvements and school and hospital funding.
"There is a big push to try and get it accurate this time," Perot said. For more information or to apply, call the bureau at 1-888-325-7733 or contact Alleghany JobLink at 372-9675.
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Email: allnews@ls.net