500 jobs still available for Census Bureau's data collection drive — pay starts at $17.10 an hour

A government contractor is still seeking to hire roughly 500 people at a Tempe call center to help the U.S. Census Bureau collect information from Americans.

Many of the positions have been open since late last year, though the company said it's getting a steady flow of candidates in a tight job market.

Pearl Interactive Network still has roughly 500 open customer service positions out of more than 800 original openings, mostly to answer questions from people trying to fill out Census forms received in the mail or through email. The temporary jobs start at $17.10 an hour with health, dental and vision benefits and likely will run into July, said Eric Torgerson, manager of the Tempe site.

The facility will hold job fairs on Tuesdays and Thursdays this month from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, walk-in candidates can drop by the center at 1401 S. 52nd St. in Tempe.

Candidates also may apply at http://bit.ly/tempecensusjob. The link describes job duties and requirements in greater detail. The openings are for both part-time and full-time positions.

"We're looking for people with customer service experience," said Torgerson.

In addition to English speakers, the Tempe center is seeking bilingual workers proficient in Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog or Vietnamese, but not Spanish, to answer calls from around the nation.

Candidates will be subject to a federal background check. Hiring priority is given to veterans, disabled individuals, military spouses and Native Americans.

Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8616.