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Monday, September 09, 2019

Update on Decennial Census Hiring

by Calculated Risk on 9/09/2019 12:34:00 PM

In the August employment report, the BLS reported

In August, employment in federal government increased by 28,000. The gain was mostly due to the hiring of 25,000 temporary workers to prepare for the 2020 Census.
emphasis added
Earlier, on August 12th, from the Census Bureau: U.S. Census Bureau Announces the Start of First Major Field Operation for 2020 Census
“We were able to verify 65% of addresses using satellite imagery — a massive accomplishment for us,” said Census Bureau Geography Division Chief Deirdre Bishop during the briefing. “In 2010 we had to hire 150,000 people to verify 100% of the addresses in the field, this decade we will only have to hire about 40,000 employees around the nation to verify the remaining 35% of addresses.”

Census Bureau employees (listers) have started walking through neighborhoods across the country checking addresses not verified using BARCA software. In-field address canvassing will continue through mid-October.
Based on this information, we can estimate:
• An additional 15,000 or so temporary Census workers will be reported in the September BLS report, bringing the total for this operation to around 40,000.

• There probably be little impact from the Census on the October report (the operation concludes in "mid-October"). However, it is possible some temporary jobs will be terminated prior to the reference week in October.

• There will probably be 30,000 to 40,000 Census jobs terminated in November, and maybe December.

• The major Census hiring will start early next year, and will really ramp up in April and May of 2020.

• The major Decennial Census terminations will happen in June through September of 2020.

Here is the Census webpage listing jobs added and terminated by month for the last several Census (1990, 2000, 2010, and now 2020).

Here is How to Report the Monthly Employment Number excluding Temporary Census Hiring