Census Seeking Workers

  ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY -   While the official count  does not take place until April 1st, already millions of census forms have been mailed out and returned.   But because this process if far from finished, the Census Bureau is looking for lots of additional  employees.   About  120 million of the census forms have been mailed out .  Statistically, about  70 % of them will be   completed and mailed back.  Now  the Census Bureau has to be prepared  to follow up on the roughly 30 % that  will  not  be returned.
 
     A number of regional census offices including  one in Altoona have opened  in recent weeks.   Right now a lot of the  attention in those offices  is on  putting together the large work force  needed to visit homes all over the region.  Census officials  estimate that up to 3,000 temporary workers  will be hired to cover the counties covered by the regional  census offices  in Altoona, Johnstown and State College.   These  new  census workers will not  be out in the field  until about May 1st.   But  because the new census workers  have to go  through a federal hiring process and meet certain requirements,   now is the time to apply for the jobs that pay at least  $11.75  an hour.
     The Census Bureau is currently recruiting and testing potential employees.   Because the hiring will be  done for specific communities,  Census officials hope to hear from people all over the region.    Information about the census jobs in your area is available from the U.S. Census department's  employment web-site, www.2010censusjobs.gov  ,   or though a toll free phone number ( 1-866-861-2010 ) set up specifically for the hiring  of the thousands of temporary workers needed.