Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 31, 1990 TAG: 9003310499
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA LENGTH: Medium
"For us, it's low salaries," said Gayle Fitzpatrick, district manager of the bureau's Alexandria office which covers Alexandria, Prince William, Loudoun and part of Fairfax counties. "In this area, McDonalds and fast food places pay almost $6 or $7 an hour. We're competing against that market, and they're long-term."
Other offices report no problems, except in counties in Northern Virginia.
Fitzpatrick said the high number of federal workers also hurts recruiting. Federal regulations mean that a U.S. government worker who takes a census position as a second job would have to be paid overtime for any hours over 40 in a week.
The eight-week census-taker jobs in Fitzpatrick's region and the neighboring Arlington region, which covers Arlington and part of Fairfax County, pay $6.75 an hour for entry-level office workers and $7.50 an hour and 24 cents a mile for entry-level counters.
Workers in the field count people who failed to return their census forms. The census has asked people to return forms by this weekend, but managers emphasize that they will continue to accept forms after their target date of April 1.
Workers in the office enter the data in computers, answer questions from callers, and make sure people used a black pencil to fill out the forms.
The Alexandria office set a goal of 4,659 qualified applicants, but has received just 2,434 so far for the jobs, most of which begin in May. The office will need at least 600 workers, depending on how many forms come back, and could need up to 1,000 to account for turnover.
The offices also must do background checks and account for the fact that people who tested four months ago may have found a full-time job.
The Arlington office has set a goal of 4,400 qualified applicants but has received less than half of that figure, according to Art Rives, district manager of that office.
"The unemployment rate is so low - 1.8 percent," Rives said. "Considering the fact, we've done well."
Rives said his office has received good response from classified ads in newspapers.
"I'm confident that we will" hire enough people to get the job done, he said. "I'm confident even if we don't get the right number of people, we'll get the job done."
The managers say applicants come from a broad spectrum - black, white, students, retirees, homemakers and people moonlighting at a second job.
Jesse Frierson, district manager of the Richmond office, said his office was looking for 4,500 applicants and has gotten 5,500 to 5,700.
"From a recruiting standpoint, we in the Richmond area are in pretty good shape," Frierson said.
Workers are paid less than in Northern Virginia, $6.50 an hour for counting jobs in the field and 24 cents a mile, and $6 an hour for working in the office. Pay is similar in other regional offices outside Northern Virginia.
Mary Grigg, district manager in the Portsmouth office, said her office has come close to reaching its goal of 4,500 applications.
The Charlottesville office is doing well recruiting in some areas, not as well in others, especially the northern counties, said Bill Greiwe, district manager. Greiwe said the office has received 1,100 applicants but would like 2,200.
"Many of those people go into the District to work. We are having a difficult time getting people to work," he said.
by CNB