Office of Field Operations

MERIT STAFFING
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
An Equal Opportunity Employer
SAMPLE DUTIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Position:
Economic Assistant

Series/Grade:
Entry Level: GS-0119-5
Promotion Potential: GS-7

 Bargaining Unit: NCFLL

Civil Service Status Required: No

Part-time Position: Not to exceed 32 hours per week

Area of Consideration:
Any U.S. Citizen

Position Duties and Responsibilities:
Economic Assistants collect prices and related statistical data on a wide variety of commodities, services, and housing for the BLS Consumer Price Index. Data is collected by conducting personal and telephonic interviews with store managers and buyers, sales managers in auto dealerships, doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals. For housing, interviews are with apartment managers, tenants, and home owners. Selection of the precise items to be priced occurs on site, therefore the assistant must be able to apply established sampling procedures in determining the sampled item. This is taught during initial classroom training and on-the-job training. Economic Assistants will also provide narrative reports on local economic conditions and retailing trends. Persuasive interpersonal communication skills are necessary to obtain voluntary participation in surveys. work is on a part-time basis, principally during regular business hours. Must be willing to 1) travel within the commuting area, 2) attend periodic training conferences of one to two weeks duration in Washington, D.C., 3) work irregular hours and, 4) work as needed on some evenings and weekends.

Qualification Requirements:
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. The following are examples of occupations that could be considered creditable provided the work involved interviewing and the collection of data: data collectors, economic assistant, economic clerks, research assistant/clerks, etc. This is not an inclusive list and other types of experience may also be creditable.
Educational substitution for GS-5: 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, pre-calculus, calculus, or economics. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying.

KIND OF APPOINTMENT: This is a permanent, part-time position. The number of hours worked will vary from week to week according to the scheduled workload and not all weeks will be worked. Some evening and weekend work will be required. ** The average hours per week will range from 16 to 32 hours. The per annum salary will be prorated based on the number of hours actually worked. This is not a job for a person who needs full-time work or who cannot be available for work when it is required. Travel: 1 - 5 nights per month. Complete qualifications standards, including substitution of education for experience, are available for review in the Human Resource Office.

RATING FACTORS
1. Ability to effectively communicate orally.
2. Ability to collect and organize data.
3. Ability to plan and organize work independently.
4. Knowledge of marketing and pricing practices for consumer goods and services.

Individuals who have special priority selection rights under ICTAP must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priorities selection. ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they achieve a score of 85 higher, excluding veterans preference points.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
A. You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this position.
B. You must be at least 16 years of age.
C. The following statements apply if checked:
___ Requires a security clearance
___ Requires a medical examination
___ Subject to financial disclosure requirements
___ Requires a supervisory/managerial probationary period if the requirement has not been met		 ___ Subject to frequent overtime
_X_ Subject to frequent travel
___ Requires a valid drivers license
___ Subject to geographic mobility
___ Subject to drug test prior to appointment

Last Modified Date: October 16, 2001

Recommend this page using: