The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today launched a national recruitment campaign to fill 35,000 jobs across England and Wales. A range of full and part time temporary positions are available to help carry out the next census which will take place on 27 March 2011. Full application details are available via www.censusjobs.co.uk and also at local job and community centres.

Working within the local community, census recruits will engage with a wide range of people and organisations. They will provide important help and support to make sure everyone in the area can complete and return their census questionnaire.

Available roles include; census coordinators, who will help to manage local teams; census collectors, who will provide help and support on the doorstep; and special enumerators, who will be responsible for communal establishments including care homes, hotels and student halls of residence.

ONS Census Director Glen Watson said: “I am pleased to announce the start of our campaign to recruit 35,000 people across England and Wales for the 2011 Census.

“The census is not just about counting people, the information it provides is needed to plan vital services like schools, hospitals, housing, roads and emergency services.

“The 2011 Census is less than six months away. We need to give people help and support to complete and return the census questionnaire and this means recruiting the right people for this important nationwide project.”

To support the launch, a downloadable collection of the faces behind the census is available at www.census.gov.uk/2011press. It features case studies of workers from across the 2011 Census workforce and the organisations that use census data to provide services to communities.