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Low unemployment puts strain on census hiring

Matt Bloom Mar 11, 2020
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Christa Bender, a census recruiting assistant, at a hiring fair at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Matt Bloom/KUNC News

Low unemployment puts strain on census hiring

Matt Bloom Mar 11, 2020
Christa Bender, a census recruiting assistant, at a hiring fair at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Matt Bloom/KUNC News
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Colorado’s unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 44 years, making it difficult to find workers for the upcoming 2020 census. In response, the Census Bureau raised its entry-level pay in Colorado — and many other states where it’s having the same problem — to $20.50 an hour. In Vermont, it may need to use workers from neighboring New York to carry out the count, meaning increased travel and labor costs. But when workers have so many options in this economy, is the bureau doing enough to fill all the jobs it needs to?

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