As of Sunday (March 13), the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) will start its recruitment drive for census takers and supervisors.

In addition, STATIN is encouraging citizens to apply to become census takers and supervisors for the 2022 Population and Housing Census during the period March 13 to April 3, 2022.

STATIN is looking to recruit approximately 8,000 census workers from across the island for the data-collection exercise, which will begin in September 2022. Applications will only be accepted online.

The form is available on STATIN’s website at www.statinja.gov.jm/. Georgia Garvey-Green, corporate communications manager at STATIN, told JIS News persons 18 years and older who have attained secondary-level education or have worked with STATIN on surveys in the past are eligible to apply.

Data collection is expected to end in December 2022, after which the information is compiled, analysed and a census report produced. The exercise is conducted once every 10 years and allows the country to take a snapshot of its population to determine how many people reside within its borders, who they are, and where they live. It counts everyone in the country.

The 15th Population and Housing Census was initially scheduled for 2021 but was delayed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The last census was done in 2011.