Laid-Off Lawyer Among Those Working as Census Bureau Temps
Third-year associate Susan Williams was laid off from a small Washington, D.C., firm in November 2008, and she had been out of work for four months when her brother told her about an ad for a Census Bureau job. The rest is history.
Williams is now on her fourth temporary stint at the bureau, the Washington Post reported. She’s been a crew leader who trained field workers, canvassed shelters and dormitories, and recruited other temps. Now she’s in technology operations.
“I’m still putting out applications for attorney positions,” the 30-year-old Williams told the Post.”But right now, I like that it’s a steady paycheck. It’s nice to get out of the house and have something to do.”
Williams said the job with the Census Bureau—as crew chief she made $21.50 per hour—is helping her pay down her student loans. The Post said the Census Bureau expects to hire at least 700,000 through summer for part-time jobs paying up to $25 an hour, mostly to canvass door-to-door.
But many of the up to 4 million applicants will be like Williams, the Post reported. At the time of the last census, unemployment was 4 percent, while it is currently almost 10 percent.
“This time around, it’s a new ballgame,” Wendy Button, a Census Bureau hiring specialist told the Post. “We’re seeing professionals with advanced degrees taking temporary jobs part time. It’s incredible.”
