This position is located with the U.S. Dept. of Labor Bureau Labor Statistics Boston Region. There is one position for this announcement, with regular work primarily in the boroughs of Brooklyn & Staten Island. There may also be work assignments in the other boroughs of New York City. Job requires that employee go to retail stores, businesses and residences in the local area to gather the required information. If required, employee will be given notification to appear at a specified office. Relocation expenses will not be provided.
TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: THIS IS A PERMANENT PART-TIME POSITION 16-32 HOURS. The initial average hours per week will be 30 hours and may fluctuate based on workload and training requirements. This is not a job for a person who needs full-time work or who cannot be available for work when it is required, including a mix of day, evening and weekend hours. This position will not lead to a permanent full-time position. This position is an Economic Assistant position in a regional Division of Price Programs. Incumbents of the position have responsibility for the collection of data for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Assignments are designed to develop technical competence in the CPI Program. NOTE: Visits to residences are necessary and evening and weekend work is scheduled. Work in retail stores is typically completed during normal business hours. In addition, you must travel to the Bureau of Labor Statistics training center in Washington, D.C. two times during the first 18 months for mandatory classroom training as follows: Two (2) week introductory commodities and services training and One (1) week of advanced data collection. Additionally, you will attend mandatory Housing survey training in your local area during the first year.
VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED - Driving conditions will include highway and local streets, and driving at night and in adverse weather conditions. This position has promotion potential to the grade of GS-07. This position is inside the Bargaining Unit.
Summary
This position is located with the U.S. Dept. of Labor Bureau Labor Statistics Boston Region. There is one position for this announcement, with regular work primarily in the boroughs of Brooklyn & Staten Island. There may also be work assignments in the other boroughs of New York City. Job requires that employee go to retail stores, businesses and residences in the local area to gather the required information. If required, employee will be given notification to appear at a specified office. Relocation expenses will not be provided.
TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: THIS IS A PERMANENT PART-TIME POSITION 16-32 HOURS. The initial average hours per week will be 30 hours and may fluctuate based on workload and training requirements. This is not a job for a person who needs full-time work or who cannot be available for work when it is required, including a mix of day, evening and weekend hours. This position will not lead to a permanent full-time position. This position is an Economic Assistant position in a regional Division of Price Programs. Incumbents of the position have responsibility for the collection of data for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Assignments are designed to develop technical competence in the CPI Program. NOTE: Visits to residences are necessary and evening and weekend work is scheduled. Work in retail stores is typically completed during normal business hours. In addition, you must travel to the Bureau of Labor Statistics training center in Washington, D.C. two times during the first 18 months for mandatory classroom training as follows: Two (2) week introductory commodities and services training and One (1) week of advanced data collection. Additionally, you will attend mandatory Housing survey training in your local area during the first year.
VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED - Driving conditions will include highway and local streets, and driving at night and in adverse weather conditions. This position has promotion potential to the grade of GS-07. This position is inside the Bargaining Unit.
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 home owners. Duties include, but are not limited to:
1. Visiting retail and service establishments such as department stores, supermarkets, medical offices and hotels to collect retail price data. A limited amount of data is collected by telephone/fax/web.
2. Contacting homeowners, renters, and apartment management companies by personal visit to neighborhoods and follow up telephone interviews.
3. Collecting and entering data on a hand held computer.
4. Obtaining voluntary cooperation from survey respondents.
5. Traveling to office to have work reviewed during on-the-job training and for monthly meetings.
Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
Requires a valid drivers license.
Subject to frequent travel.
Appointment to this position will require a background investigation.
Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.
Qualifications
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:The GS-5 level requires one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience which is in the Economic Assistant field or a related occupation 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: Significant experience in retail sales, cold-calling sales, real estate sales or management, survey or marketing work, interviewers or in-take workers, jobs or volunteer experience that required detailed record keeping, jobs or volunteer experience that required oral persuasion skills, jobs or volunteer experience that involved public contact. Specialized experience must demonstrate the applicant's ability to perform research or related work that involved collecting, compiling, verifying, analyzing, or reporting data. Direct contact with, and direct sales to, the public is a plus. Examples of specialized experience include: experience in retail sales; specific knowledge of a wide variety of assorted products and/or service(s) offered by retail stores and businesses to the consumer; knowledge of products and service specifications; real estate experience in selling and public outreach, specific knowledge of area sales and housing stock, pricing and customer base. General knowledge of constantly changing consumer marketing practices. Knowledge of consumer product and service terminology and characteristics. Familiarity with state, federal and local laws as they relate to consumer products/services especially prices, (i.e., licensing requirements, state taxes, excise taxes, labeling regulations, etc.). Using good skill in communicating, both orally and in writing. Using personal computers and application such as windows-based software applications, email, and the internet.
EDUCATIONAL 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. Complete application packages must be received by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, this includes copies of college transcripts.
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means, such as the interview process.
The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. It is essential that your resume provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses in the self-assessment vacancy questions. If your responses are not adequately substantiated by your resume, the HRO will amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency that is indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments such as an interview.
Education
If you wish to use your education as a basis for meeting the eligibility and/or minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must submit academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements. If specific course work is required to fulfill the eligibility and/or minimum qualification requirements, you must supply transcripts from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit for that course work. See the 'Qualifications and Evaluations' section of this announcement for more details.
If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy.
College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education - The Department of Labor does not recognize academic degrees from unauthorized secondary schools or post-secondary institutions that are not accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Department of 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 course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
Additional information
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
The Department of Labor does not make unfavorable hiring decisions on the basis of an applicant's previous or current unemployment, or the fact that an applicant has experienced financial difficulty through no fault of his/her own and has undertaken good faith efforts to meet his/her financial obligations. Consideration is given to financial status in relation to appointments only where required by law, regulation, or Executive Order.
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.
The Department of Labor (DOL) offers a great benefit package to eligible employees. The benefit package includes but is not limited to health benefits, supplemental dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, 13 days paid sick leave per year, vacation leave and 10 paid holidays per year. We offer a variety of employee benefit options, a family-friendly work environment, a child care subsidy program, transit subsidy program, career assistance program, health services and fitness programs, access to LifeCare, a resource and referral service and more. Employees on Part-Time work schedules receive all of these benefits on a prorated basis. For a comprehensive site about all federal benefits, please refer to OPM. For specific DOL benefits information, please refer to DOL BENEFITS.
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.
Categories Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity. Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position. Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.
Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies: Decision Making and Problem Solving; Interpersonal Skills: Oral Communications; Self Management; Planning and Evaluation; Influencing and Negotiation; Stress Tolerance.
Click here for Evaluation details. For Displaced Employees ONLY: if you meet the eligibility requirements for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles will be considered "well-qualified" if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #23 and 26 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP/CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation. To preview questions please click here.
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.
The Department of Labor (DOL) offers a great benefit package to eligible employees. The benefit package includes but is not limited to health benefits, supplemental dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, 13 days paid sick leave per year, vacation leave and 10 paid holidays per year. We offer a variety of employee benefit options, a family-friendly work environment, a child care subsidy program, transit subsidy program, career assistance program, health services and fitness programs, access to LifeCare, a resource and referral service and more. Employees on Part-Time work schedules receive all of these benefits on a prorated basis. For a comprehensive site about all federal benefits, please refer to OPM. For specific DOL benefits information, please refer to DOL BENEFITS.
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.
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Follow the instructions: click How To Submit Supplemental Documentation Document. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password protected documents.
- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx
- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted
Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Follow the steps below to apply. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.
SAVE your information before the 30 MINUTE TIMEOUT! For help, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/.
STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses in the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. FOR EACH EMPLOYMENT PERIOD, include: start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week); otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.
STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on www.usajobs.gov that you wish to apply for, click on the title and click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Click "Start Application" and proceed through 5 steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. At Step 5, click "Continue to Agency Site".
STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL) On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click "APPLY TO THIS VACANCY". Continue through the 7 progress steps indicated by circles at the top of the DOL page. The 3rd progress step is where you answer the vacancy specific questions. The 4th progress step "Documents" is where you submit required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy. If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission.
STEP 4 - On the "Review and Submit" step, click "Submit Application" The last "Confirmation" step will turn green noting that your application was submitted successfully.
STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm ET of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then "Update Application"
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Boston/New York
Boston, Massachusetts 02203
United States
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days from the issuance date of the certificate.
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Follow the instructions: click How To Submit Supplemental Documentation Document. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password protected documents.
- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx
- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted
Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Follow the steps below to apply. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.
SAVE your information before the 30 MINUTE TIMEOUT! For help, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/.
STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses in the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. FOR EACH EMPLOYMENT PERIOD, include: start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week); otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.
STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on www.usajobs.gov that you wish to apply for, click on the title and click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Click "Start Application" and proceed through 5 steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. At Step 5, click "Continue to Agency Site".
STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL) On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click "APPLY TO THIS VACANCY". Continue through the 7 progress steps indicated by circles at the top of the DOL page. The 3rd progress step is where you answer the vacancy specific questions. The 4th progress step "Documents" is where you submit required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy. If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission.
STEP 4 - On the "Review and Submit" step, click "Submit Application" The last "Confirmation" step will turn green noting that your application was submitted successfully.
STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm ET of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then "Update Application"
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Boston/New York
Boston, Massachusetts 02203
United States
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days from the issuance date of the certificate.
