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For those without work, a job could be just around the corner.

The U.S. Census Bureau is looking to fill about 1,000 jobs in the Triad, and about 5,000 jobs throughout North Carolina.

Positions will help prepare for the 2010 census by developing an address list that will be used to deliver census questionnaires. All jobs are temporary, but the available full-time and part-time positions include: address listers, office clerks, recruiting assistants, crew leaders and field operations supervisors.

The Charlotte Regional Census Center has opened 15 local census offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. An early local census office at 415 N. Edgeworth St. in Greensboro is up and running, and about 60 clerks have been hired so far, said Kim Loyd, assistant manager of recruiting. By the end of February, the office will hire about 600 workers who will be working in the field, she said. Nationwide, 2.5 million will be hired, and jobs can continue up to two years until the census is complete in December 2010, Loyd said.

The response to the open positions has been "unbelievable," Loyd said, adding that they receive about 200 calls a day from people inquiring about the jobs. And this response has been seen even without the grand opening of the census office, which will be Jan. 27, Loyd said.

''People's backs are up against a wall," Loyd said about the stories they hear of people without work. "Everybody's looking for a job." Loyd said they have tested 3,000 people in 11 counties in the past few months for the open positions.

And it's no wonder, with the unemployment rate in Guilford County shooting to 7.7 percent in November, and 8.3 percent in High Point, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

Wages start at $10.25 an hour and go up to $15 an hour, depending on the position. If interested in applying, call 1-866-861-2010, or apply online at www.2010censusjobs.gov. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, have a valid Social Security number and pass a basic aptitude test. Most jobs require a drivers license and use of a car.

''It's great pay, great hours," Loyd said. "It's a great job, and it's an important job."

Census results are used to determine the number of congressional seats for each state and the shape of the legislative districts and local government districts. Additionally, it helps determine how $300 billion in federal funds are distributed annually to communities across the country for local programs.