Just as retailers are staffing up to handle a glut of shoppers this holiday season, so too is the U.S. Census Bureau.

Over the next several months, the agency will hire several thousand people to work at its offices in the Sacramento region — part of a larger hiring spree intended to bring on 500,000 census takers and office workers across the country ahead of the 2020 census this spring.

Census jobs provide flexible hours, travel reimbursement at 58 cents per mile, weekly pay and paid training.

People can apply for 2020 Census work if they are at least 18 years old, a U.S. Citizen, and have a valid Social Security number and email address. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service System or have a qualifying exemption.

Employees should have access to a vehicle and a valid drivers license unless public transportation is readily available. Employees should also have access to an Internet-connected computer (to complete the training process).

The Census is encouraging people to apply now to be in the first wave of hires, who will be notified at the end of this year, or in January. It is also encouraging people to also apply for supervisory positions, which pay a little more.

The pay begins at $21 per hour in Yolo County and people interested can contact www.2020census.gov to apply.

The new hires will help make sure the federal agency gets an accurate count of the millions who call the Sacramento area home, knocking on doors in hundreds of neighborhoods to encourage residents to participate. The work is important because the data helps determine how much federal funding the region gets for schools, hospitals, road maintenance and more, and what congressional districts look like.

“If you’re not counted or we miss you, it’s literally money coming out of that pot that ordinarily would go to the community,” said Josh Green, a spokesman for the bureau.

The mammoth effort happens only once every 10 years, so any undercount has long-term consequences.

And, Green noted, the bureau doesn’t share the information it collects with anyone, including other government agencies — a fear expressed by some residents, particularly those living in the country without documentation. “No matter what your status is, we just want to count you,” Green said.

Workers need to be at least 18 and authorized to work in the U.S., they must apply online, and they’ll have to pass a background check and get fingerprinted. But, Green said, “anyone can do this job as long as you’re reliable and want to help.”

Speaking multiple languages is a plus. The jobs generally last six to eight weeks, although the time frame varies. Some people might be selected by December or January and asked to start as early as February, with others starting in the spring and summer.

“You’re spending a bunch of money on Black Friday,” Green said. “This is a good way to get some extra cash to pay off those credit cards.”

Workers will have to go through some training, but they’ll be paid for the time they spend learning the job.

With the 2020 census going online for the first time, the hiring spree is slightly smaller than in the past. The bureau hopes most people will fill out the census form online without too much prodding. But still, it’s no small feat.

“Even Google doesn’t hire at this scale in this period of time,” Green quipped.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 84% of Americans say they definitely or probably will participate in the census.

“We want to count every single person in the United States,” Green said. “This is a huge undertaking.”

The Bay Area News Group contributed to this report.