By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

An event that takes place once a decade may be coming at the perfect time for people in the area dealing with unemployment or underemployment.

The Kalamazoo region Census Bureau, which covers five counties including Cass and Berrien, is looking to hire as many as 1,500 temporary employees in the coming months to assist in the U.S. Census.

“We are in the recruiting process right now,” Dave Wiemerslage, the region’s census office manager said. “We picked up 22 employees over the holidays and are looking to add another 200 employees over the next month.”

The census bureau is looking for people to fill office jobs and census taker positions. Census takers will locate households, conduct brief interviews with residents and record responses. The hours are often in the evenings and on weekends, and most jobs last four to eight weeks.

According to Wiemerslage, pay is between $13.25 and $17 per hour.

“We need workers in every neighborhood,” Assistant Manager of Recruiting Daniel Moore said. “We are still looking for workers in many different neighborhoods.”

Applicants must be 18 years old or over, take a 30-minute test, have reliable transportation and pass a background check.

Hires will be determined by results of the test and where people live.

The easiest way to apply, Wiemerslage said, is to call (866) 861-2010. Applicants will be asked to enter their zip code and will be transferred to the appropriate office. They are then assigned a time and location for the 28-item multiple-choice test that evaluates clerical, reading and number skills.

The U.S. Census is conducted every 10 years and calculates how many people live in the country, who they are and where they live. Results play a factor in representation in government and how federal funds are spent in communities. Hundreds of thousands of census takers are being hired nation-wide.

For more information about U.S. Census jobs: http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs.