U.S. CENSUS BUREAU TO HIRE ADDRESS LISTERS IN MISSOURI; LOCAL WORKERS KEY TO SUCCESSFUL CENSUS 2000

The race to the next decennial census is on and the Census Bureau is combing Missouri in hopes of recruiting hundreds of workers to help check and prepare lists for Census 2000. Through these positions, census workers will be able to provide valuable address information about the community in which they live.

These temporary workers will travel throughout each block in their community to verify and update the list of addresses the Census Bureau has compiled. Additionally, the workers will be looking for housing units that may not be readily visible to assure they receive their census questionnaire.

"We are recruiting people to work within their neighborhoods because they are most familiar with the residents in their community," said Kansas City Regional Director Henry Palacios. "Our goal is to have a pool of local people who want to work on this activity and who are committed to a successful count in their neighborhood."

The "address lister" jobs will last up to eight weeks and workers will be paid weekly at a competitive wage. Job applicants must take a written test and meet certain requirements before being hired as a census worker. Jobs will begin after the first of the year.

People who can work part-time, retirees, participants in government programs or those looking for a temporary employment opportunity are encouraged to apply. These jobs will provide useful skills that can serve as a stepping stone in today's job market. Training is also provided.

By law, information give to a census worker is kept confidential and cannot be revealed to anyone who is not covered by the same strict confidentiality statute. Violations of the law can result in fines and imprisonment.

For more information about becoming a census worker, contact the Census Bureau Recruiting Office at (888) 325-7733.

The U.S. Census Bureau, pre-eminent collector and disseminator of timely, relevant and quality data about people and the economy of the United States, conducts a population and housing census every 10 years, and economic census every five years and more than 100 demographic and economic surveys every year, all of them evolving from the first census in 1790.