The census is still falling behind in hiring local staff

Census officials are still struggling to hire local staff, an essential element in promoting the 2020 census among the country's most difficult to enumerate populations, agency officials said on an advisory committee.

While many aspects of preparations, including address verification, are late or late, the US Census Bureau has reported that there are more than 200 people below its target of hiring 1,500 staff local partnerships before the countdown next year. The hiring problems arose as the agency geared up for the 2020 census, which will be used to determine the number of congressional seats for each state, how the federal funds are allocated and to structure the economic surveys.

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Local recruits, known as partnership specialists, are expected to build relationships with regional groups and governments to promote decennial enumeration. Willette Allen, deputy head of the Census Bureau division, said the agency currently has more than 50,000 partnerships with local and national organizations that help disseminate the census and serve as a "voice of confidence" for skeptical residents as to their participation.

"Although we are a little behind in hiring our people, we are on time to engage our partners," Allen said.

Although the agency has already employed more specialists this cycle than for the 2010 census, the hiring deadline has been a source of contention for government watchdogs and congressional Democrats concerned about the Behavior around the count. The Census Bureau cited the expected increase in partnership staff to justify other changes from the last census cycle, such as the reduction of physical office space.

At a House Watch and Reform Committee hearing in July, Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham discussed changes such as the anticipated increase in partnership staff to defend themselves against cuts made by agencies in other areas. He said that "bricks and mortar [strategy] did not work "to protect the declining number of census offices in the area and the closure of its questionnaire help centers.

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Wider issues facing the census

Among House Democrats who are skeptical of the census preparations is Representative Steven Horsford, D-Nevada, who chairs a 2020 Census Working Group for the Congressional Black Caucus.

"This administration has taken specifically coordinated measures to discourage and deter people from participating in the 2020 census. Responding to the concerns of our director, Dillingham, is an opportunity to defend our constituents and historically underrated communities," said Horsford. in a statement at the end of a meeting of the CBC with Dillingham on Tuesday.

The Government Accountability Office pointed out that the poor recruitment took place. In July, officials said the agency may miss key milestones for recruitment and preparation.

Democrats have expressed concern that the census also does not miss millions of Americans, especially young children and immigrants.

The Census Bureau is currently conducting a verification of its address, which has been reduced in previous decades, as it relies more than ever on computer assistance. The agency also struggled to hire staff for address verification and to get it involved. Soon he will also have to recruit more than 500,000 people to conduct an in-person census of people who do not respond to the census.

In his address to the Census Advisory Committee meeting, Mr. Dillingham acknowledged that the organization faced many challenges in the process. He faces declining response rates among all surveys and an increasingly mobile population with complex households, he said. The Census Bureau will also compete with the 2020 election cycle to attract public attention.

Most of all may be a general malaise for the census, said Dillingham.

"People are concerned about sharing their information and protecting their responses," he said.