Census Bureau Job Applicants Plentiful in Most of County

Despite a low unemployment rate and past troubles with recruiting, the U.S. Census Bureau says that it has found plenty of applicants willing to go door to door collecting information in most areas of Los Angeles County.

Census officials said much of the success is due to the raise in pay to $14 an hour--about double the rate during the 1990 census, when officials struggled to fill the jobs statewide.

That pay figure “grabbed my attention. It’s a good reason to apply,” said Sonia Canas of Los Angeles, who was taking the applicant test Friday morning.

Thousands of residents throughout the county are taking the test and filling out applications in hopes that they will be hired to work three to six weeks. If selected, they will go to neighborhoods and approach people who have not mailed back their census forms, offering to clarify any questions and helping to fill out the documents.

The regional census office has set out to attract 10 times as many applicants as the 20,000-plus so-called enumerators that will eventually be hired.

“Right now we have about 200,000 applicants; that’s about 96%. We’re happy with it,” said Kemble Worley, assistant census manager for the office that oversees the southern half of California plus Hawaii. “But I’m never happy until I get 100%.”

And reaching that goal may be the toughest part of all, because census officials want enumerators to work in their own neighborhoods--to better address possible cultural and language barriers.

In Los Angeles County, where there are 19 regional offices, the Hollywood/Mid-Wilshire, Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles sites are having trouble getting enough applicants, Worley said.

Part of the problem is lack of interest in the positions, especially in areas where residents are economically better off, such as Santa Monica. Residents there might feel less need to work, said Yolanda Gonzalez, manager of that office, which has achieved only 60% of its goal of 4,500 applicants. Other areas that largely consist of commercial properties are experiencing difficulty finding job seekers.

The downtown office is still looking for more applicants, particularly those who speak Korean, Chinese or Japanese. Applicants are also highly sought-after in the Pico-Union neighborhood.

“We’re going to subway stops, we hit churches, send out fliers to attract more people,” said Louis Avenilla, census manager of the downtown office.

In spite of the difficulties, Gonzalez and Avenilla say they are confident they’ll get enough enumerators by hiring time.

Each regional office will determine how many enumerators it will need to cover the area once officials know how many people in a neighborhood failed to mail in their census forms.

Training will last two to three days, covering the basics of filling out forms and reading neighborhood maps. Trainees will also get a crash course in sensitivity.

“We give them information on how to deal with different populations. A lot of it is common sense, like respecting elders, being polite, not being pushy,” Worley said. Dealing with different cultural situations is also part of the training, like knowing which ethnic groups might be intimidated by direct eye contact, or when a bow is customary, he said.

According to Avenilla, making sure there are enough enumerators is but one key factor in guaranteeing a successful count. Filling out the forms at home and mailing them in, he said, is the first major step.

“If everyone filled their forms, we wouldn’t need as many enumerators,” he said.

Information on becoming a census enumerator: (800) 325-7733