2011 Census creates jobs

35,000 jobs will be created to conduct next year’s census, with around 20 census collectors to be employed in Bromsgrove district.

The census, which is carried out every ten years to provide an estimate of our population, is carried out on a local basis by the Office of National Statistics with the assistance of local authorities - and Bromsgrove District Council will be recruiting census staff soon.

Most people complete and return their census questionnaires by post, and for the first time everyone will have the option to complete the 2011 Census online. However there will still need to be a large workforce of people on the ground to collect questionnaires and co-ordinate efforts.

The Council’s census liaison manager Jayne Pickering said: “The 2011 Census is your chance to help shape your community for tomorrow. It’s so important to get it done right.

“Bromsgrove district is part of a single census area that includes Redditch and Dudley, and working with the Office of National Statistics we will be employing around 150 people to help ensure no-one misses out. Obviously most of the jobs that will be created will be needed in the more densely populated areas, and we expect to see about 20 people being employed in Bromsgrove district.

“We will be looking for plenty of applicants to become census collectors, as we will need people to help ensure our district is properly and thoroughly represented in the census.”

Census results are used to plan local services such as schools, transport, housing and health, with the number of people included in the census affecting the amount of funding given to each local area.