Economic Assistant (Part-Time)

Summary

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.

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Duties

Work is primarily in Cincinnati, OH but will include travel throughout Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren counties.

Also, the following counties in Indiana: Dearborn, Ohio, and Union.

Also, the following counties in Kentucky: Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton.

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 off ices, 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 off ice for on-the-job training and periodic meetings.
  
  
  

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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

Qualifications:

Applicants must meet qualifications, legal and regulatory requirements for the position by the closing date of this announcement.

GS-05: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level.

Specialized experience is the experience that is in or related to the work of the position being filled which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

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;
• Cold-calling sales, survey, marketing, retail sales or public outreach work;
• Interviewer or in-take experience that required detailed record-keeping and/or oral persuasion skills with public contact.
  
  
  

Education Requirements:

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.

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 course work requirements for this position.

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.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.

This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit.

Promotion potential for this position is GS-07.

Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Click here for Telework Position Information This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  
  

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

200 Constitution Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20210

US