The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal fact-finding agency for the federal government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other federal agencies, state and local governments, business, and labor. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Duties

Work will be performed primarily in Reading, PA, which includes travel throughout Berks county as well. THIS POSITION IS PART-TIME ONLY AND DOES NOT LEAD TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT. THIS IS NOT ENTRY LEVEL FOR AN ECONOMIST POSITION. The initial average hours per week will be 16 to 32 hours to start depending on workload and training requirements. Work schedule will vary week to week depending upon work requirements. This is not a job for a person who needs full-time work or who cannot be available for work when required, which includes a mix of day, evening and weekend hours as needed. Additionally, this position requires visits to retail stores, businesses, and residences to gather the required information. Selectees must travel to the Bureau of Labor Statistics training center in Washington, D.C. or another location if scheduled for mandatory classroom training such as: One (1) week introductory commodities and services (C&S) training and One (1) week of advanced data collection. Housing training and some C&S training are accomplished through distance learning. Notice will be given of planned training events that require travel. Economic Assistants collect prices and related statistical data on a wide variety of commodities, services, and housing for the BLS Consumer Price Index. Data for commodities and services are collected by conducting personal and telephone interviews with store managers and buyers, managers in auto dealerships, doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals. Data for the housing survey are obtained by personal visit or telephone interview with either property managers, tenants, or homeowners. Duties include, but are not limited to: Visiting retail and service establishments such as department stores, supermarkets, medical offices, and hotels to collect retail price data. A limited amount of data are collected by telephone/fax, video, and websites. Contacting homeowners, renters, and apartment management companies by personal visit to neighborhoods and follow up telephone interviews. Collecting and entering data on a handheld computer. Obtaining voluntary cooperation from survey respondents. Traveling to a field office for on-the-job training and periodic meetings.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED - Driving conditions include highway and local streets, driving at night and in adverse weather conditions. Work in retail stores is typically completed during normal business hours.
• Temporary travel outside the duty station by various modes of transportation is required.
• Personal visits to housing units are necessary and require walking/standing for long periods. Collection from housing units is likely to include walking on uneven surfaces.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet qualifications, legal and regulatory requirements for the position by the closing date of this announcement. GS-05: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-04, in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Examples of qualifying experience may include: Experience using personal computers and applications to perform research or related work that involved collecting, compiling, verifying, analyzing, or reporting data; OR Cold-calling sales, survey, marketing, retail sales or public outreach work; OR Interviewer or in-take experience that required detailed record-keeping and/or oral persuasion skills with public contact. OR Education substitution: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in economics, or 24 semester hours of courses in subjects such as business law, statistics, algebra, precalculus, calculus, or economics. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Contacts

• Address Bureau of Labor Statistics 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Yanitza Roman
• Phone: 312-596-5400
• Email: [email protected]