Norman — Our mailboxes were stuffed with Census forms this week as the government begins its nationwide headcount. Officials ask that the forms come back soon so that fewer workers need to go out in the field.
There are few of those workers. The Census Bureau still needs to hire thousands of additional recruits for survey work that begins in May. The goal is to have 635,000 employees by then.
Oklahoma and Logan Counties still have openings. Pay ranges from $10.75 an hour to $17.25 an hour. The work can last up to eight weeks. Workers are asked to knock on doors of folks who don’t return the form and get the answers to the government’s 10 questions.
With unemployment nationwide running at about 10 percent, the Census job vacancies seem puzzling. Could it be that it’s better to remain unemployed than to work only eight weeks in less than ideal conditions?
We hope it’s more a matter of the Bureau not needing employees in areas where there are already job vacancies. We know several retirees who have signed on in Oklahoma.
The cost to get each mailed response is 47 cents but the cost to taxpayers if a visit is required is $57. The Associated Press reports if every household mailed in their response as requested, taxpayers could save $1.5 billion.
