By
Stephanie Miceli - July 12, 2010
It was a temporary panacea in a stormy economic climate.
Over the last two years, the Census Bureau hired over 700,000 Americans, many
of them within the last six months. And it is just as quickly shedding some
225,000 workers as the work dissolves in the weeks to come.
Many are expected to be unemployed once again by August, with very few retaining their positions into September.
"Typically,
at this point in the process, we're losing a lot of people because they're
taking jobs," said Kathleen Ludgate, the regional director in Boston. She
wishes that was a problem now.
And so do
the temporary staffers, among them laid-off insurance executives and nuclear
engineering degree holders.
Previously, the census bureau struggled to retain workers
into September, who were oftentimes eager to move on to better paying jobs. Wages
vary regionally and with responsibilities. While a census worker in Jackson,
Miss. might earn $12.25 an hour, one in Providence may earn $17, or $23 in
Boston. With their wages in tow, many have nowhere to go.
The financial sector, however, is reportedly anticipating
an economic recovery, as reported by the New York Times. President Barack Obama
has also announced his effort to create more jobs by increasing exports, which
he says are imperative during a time of job deficit.
"In 2008, American exports accounted for nearly 7
percent of our total employment, one in three manufacturing jobs and supported
10.3 million jobs in all jobs that pay 15 percent more on average," said Obama.
At a campaign swing in Missouri later this week, the
president will further address economic and employment concerns, including the
absence of national policies that call for sweeping job creation.
"In the absence of sensible policies that invest in
long-term public goods like education, basic research, and roads and railways,
broadband and smart electric grid, the consequences can be equally
disastrous," Obama said.
The
unemployment rate in April stood at 9.9 percent, remaining relatively
consistent at 9.5 percent in June.
As for the 2010
Census, while the door-to-door phase ended, in other regions of the United
States, jobs are projected to last into mid-September due to "follow-up work,"
according to Ellie Foster, office manager for the Census Bureau's Flagstaff
office.
During the follow-up phase, Census workers visit addresses who have been
unresponsive to door-to-door visits or failed to submit a mailed census form.
"The Census
is not over," Foster said. "Far from it."
