Australian Census 2021: How it will work during lockdowns and restrictions

Millions of Australians could still be stuck in lockdown as Census workers drop off forms. This is how it will work.

More than 40,000 Australians applied for temporary jobs supporting this year’s Census, hoping to nab a field officer role at $25.41 an hour or field manager role at $36.90 an hour – plus superannuation.

About 65 per cent of the jobs have already been filled and many more are being processed through identity and police checks, with almost all roles on track to be accounted for by the middle of August.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics had put the call out for 19,791 field officers, tasked with visiting households to remind people to complete their Census form, and 2665 field managers, tasked with training and supporting field officers, as well as an assortment of other support and management roles.

Although a significant recruitment drive, the numbers were down on previous Census years as more Australians opt to complete their form online.

There were about 10,000 more workers hired for the 2001 survey, two decades ago.

Jacky Holden worked as a field officer during the 2016 Census. Picture: Helen Orr

Census executive director Andrew Henderson did not expect the Covid-19 pandemic to have too significant an impact on the delivery of the national survey.

“For the vast majority of Australians, the Census was always going to be contact free,” he said.

“We expect 75 per cent of households to go online, and the majority will receive instructions by mail … so there will be no contact.

“The contact is usually in the follow up. If, for whatever reason, a household has not completed the form, we send a field officer around.”

He said field activity was more common in remote areas where internet and postal services were less reliable.

“All of our field officers will be provided with masks and training around social distancing and non-contact, and have clear instructions that in some situations it may be OK to drop something in a letter box or go around doing planning work and updating dwelling lists, but not OK to knock on doors,” he said.

“We will make it clear what is appropriate and that will be localised for each specific region.”

Census executive director Andrew Henderson says there are still some roles available in regional and remote areas. Picture: Supplied

He said the current lockdowns had not yet affected the roll out of workers, and if lockdowns are announced in the coming weeks and months, field officers will simply not be sent out those days.

Covid-19 vaccination is not mandatory for Census workers out in the community, but they will also not be in contact with vulnerable people.

Existing staff in hospitals, aged care facilities and prisons, for example, will work with the government to distribute and collect forms.

Although most Census jobs have been filled, Mr Henderson said the ABS “could always do with more feet on the ground in regional areas”.

They expect to continue recruiting into September to back fill vacant field officer positions.

“Around 10 per cent of people we select for roles obtain longer term employment in the interim so they need to be back filled,” Mr Henderson said.

This year’s Census will be held on August 10.

The first wave of workers are already out and about in regional and remote communities, but many more will begin work in the coming weeks.

Applications for Census jobs are still being accepted here.