Lubbock County stands to gain about 1,000 temporary jobs starting in the spring when the U.S. Census Bureau looks for help counting South Plains residents in the 2010 Census, said Gabriel Sanchez, director of the Census Bureau’s Dallas Regional Office.

The bureau estimates it will hire about 2,400 to 2,600 temporary employees for the entire South Plains region.

The Census Bureau already is taking applications for the mostly full-time but temporary positions.

The part-time jobs are mostly for enumerator positions - those who go door-to-door to collect the ten-question census form - and will pay about $11.50 an hour, according to information provided by the Census Bureau.

The census questionnaires will be sent to residences on March 15. Enumerators will be trained and sent to help people fill out forms and to collect them if they haven’t been sent in by April 15.

To get the jobs, hopeful candidates need to apply with the Census Bureau - 1-866-861-2010 - and schedule a time to take a 30-minute employment test. There also will be several positions for census office workers that will require previous managerial experience and a resume from applicants.