The U.S. Census Bureau has started recruiting a pool of temporary workers who will be available to follow up with area residents who don't return the Census forms due April 1. The bureau wants to find 5,200 qualified workers in northeast Indiana, although it won't know for months how many it can hire.

Because Census managers don't know yet how many people will return their forms, they don't know how many workers the Fort Wayne-area office will need and how long they will be employed. As Census spokeswoman Muriel Jackson noted, if everyone returns their forms, there would be no work for part-time enumerators. However, the likelihood of a 100 percent return rate is small.

The temporary employees' work could be finished in a few days or stretch out for a longer period, “depending on the response rate and the productivity of the workers,” Jackson said.

The recruiting target in northeast Indiana, which will be served through the Fort Wayne office, is 5,200 qualified applicants. Many in that pool won't be hired, either because they won't be needed, they won't need or want the employment once it's available, or because they themselves won't be available.

“Every area is going to vary, depending on the response rate,” Jackson said.

Some of the temporary workers hired would have office jobs in the Fort Wayne office that serves northeast Indiana. Others would be field workers, tracking down residences where occupants had neglected to send in Census forms, then seeing that the forms are completed.

Applicants must take a written test to assess basic skills. The successful candidates must pass a background check and commit to four days of training. Trainees will be paid for those training days, and the training can be held during daytime hours or during evening and weekend hours.