Census Hiring Expected to Deliver Economic Boost

Another stimulus is about to come down the pike, in the form of the 2010 Census.

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to hire nearly 800,000 people by May, an infusion of jobs that is estimated to bring down the unemployment rate temporarily and boost the country's overall economy.

It comes at a needed time. One year after the actual stimulus was signed, unemployment is holding steady at a steep 9.7 percent. Officials said record snowfall kept that number high last month -- when job losses were 75 percent higher than the previous month -- but for the next couple months the strain of unemployment could ease.

According to a report from the Department of Commerce, the 2010 Census operation will "markedly affect several economic indicators."

It estimated the jobless rate could drop by as much as 0.5 percent, and that the GDP could grow between 0.1 and 0.2 percent during the first half of the year before the effects of the Census wear off.

The Census boost, though, is only that. The spending and hiring is temporary and expected to drop off sharply after May.

And the jobs that will be created are mostly part-time positions. The average Census worker is expected to put in about 19 hours a week for six weeks and be laid off by June.