Thousands seek Census jobs in down economy Lawyers are lining up. Wall Street brokers are applying. Retirees and stay-at-home moms and dads are ready to work. Even though some jobs last no more than a week and pay as little as $10 an hour, the Census Bureau is attracting so many applicants that the agency is way ahead of its recruitment goals for the 2010 national head count. 2010 COUNT NEARS: Census Bureau still needs director It's a thin silver lining to the financial crisis as high unemployment and economic uncertainty make recruiting 3.8 million Census workers this year and next a lot easier. The hiring binge is adding jobs that pay $10 to $34 an hour and may last a week to two years across the USA: 7,000 people in the next 18 months in Montana and northern Wyoming; more than 800 people in Kern County, Calif.; 800 in Vermont. The New York regional office, which includes New York City and 10 counties in New Jersey, will need about 6,000 people this spring. The quality of applicants is up a notch, too. "There are a lot of people who swallowed their pride and decided they need a paycheck," says Arnold Jackson, associate director for the decennial Census. "It's eased the challenge of recruiting, and hopefully it can help people get on their feet." In preparation for counting every person in the nation — a task that takes place every 10 years as required by the Constitution — the Census needs almost 145,000 people to begin "address canvassing" the first week of April. Equipped with handheld computers that have built-in Global Positioning System devices, workers will go house to house and street to street to verify that the Census has every address on its books. The list will be used to mail Census forms in April 2010, when the official count is taken. Another wave of foot soldiers will be deployed after the Census forms are mailed next year to knock on doors at addresses where people didn't return the questionnaires. Through much of this decade, former Census manager Alvin Aviles, 45, stayed at home in New York City with his daughter, now 7, and son, 4, while his wife, a banker, continued her career. When job announcements for the 2010 Census began, Aviles decided he would work again. "Obviously, as a stay-at-home dad, we have to maintain a budget," Aviles says. Hired in October to manage a Brooklyn office, he has seen firsthand the effect the financial meltdown has had on hiring. "We got thousands and thousands" of applicants, he says, many who are unemployed or looking for part-time jobs to supplement their incomes. "We have engineers from MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) … people who come out of banking at Merrill Lynch, brokers," he says. "There are a lot of overly qualified people applying." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more