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Polk library hosts help to apply Mondays and Fridays

COLUMBUS—Anyone in the area needing temporary work has the chance now to apply to be a U.S. Census worker. 

The pay is $17 an hour for work done Mondays through Saturdays and $21.25 an hour for Sundays, plus mileage for all days if using a vehicle for the work. 

The 2020 U.S. Census will begin soon and will be valid as of April 1 this year. 

Employment is needed with applications being taken online. 

Local U.S. Census Recruiter Erin Miller says there are at least 1,000 people needed to work in Polk, Henderson and Rutherford counties. Polk County needs approximately 80 people alone. People can work in different counties. 

Miller emphasized the need for not only employees, but for people to fill out this year’s census. 

“Polk County probably has about 25,000 people, but only about 20,000 fill out the census,” Miller said. “So we don’t receive money for those 5,000 people.” 

Miller was speaking of federal and state funding all counties are eligible to receive, but that funding is based solely on the census. 

Miller will be at the Polk County Library, located in Columbus, on Mondays and Fridays until likely mid-February to help people apply to work for the census. There are several different jobs available, all with flexibility. 

There are over 2,000 jobs available in western North Carolina with applications being accepted now. 

There are a variety of jobs available, including supervisory positions and positions to help people fill out the census. The work normally lasts about 6-8 weeks. 

The time of day and amount of hours is flexible and suitable for people who want to work either part or full time. People can work part-time around an existing job if they so choose. 

The Census Board has started looking at applicants and will call applicants between now and March. 

Requirements to work for the census include having a vehicle; being 18 years or older; being a U.S. citizen or have a green card and be bilingual and having an email address. 

The number of hours worked is flexible and can be up to 40 hours per week. The timeframe of work will be from now until August. 

The NC Works bus will be coming to the Polk County Courthouse area on Wednesday, Jan. 29 to help people apply as well. The bus will be located at the corner of Gibson and Ward Streets in Columbus. 

To apply for a census job, people can visit 2020census.gov/jobs.