Occupation
Census and survey officer
Census and survey officers collect the data that official statistics are built from, working for a national statistical agency or a government research unit. The work covers contacting selected households or businesses, conducting interviews to a fixed script, and checking returns for completeness before they enter processing.
Also known as: Survey officer · Statistical survey officer · Enumerator
Occupation content
Part of Government, policy and administration
What the work involves
- Contact selected households or businesses and explain the purpose and legal basis of the collection.
- Conduct interviews in person, by telephone, or online following the approved questionnaire.
- Follow up non-responding cases within the collection window and record the outcome.
- Check completed returns for missing, inconsistent, or implausible entries.
- Code responses to the classification standards the agency uses.
- Protect respondent confidentiality under the statistics legislation that governs the collection.
How people commonly enter
- A secondary school qualification with agency-provided training for field collection roles.
- A college diploma or bachelor's degree for analytic and supervisory survey positions.
- Direct entry through a statistical agency's recruitment for a census or survey cycle.
- Progression from a field interviewer role into survey supervision or coordination.
Typical training: Varies by employer or jurisdiction
Licensing: Not typically licensed
Pathways: Common in public service
Typical work context
Public facing · Works independently · Varied work · Involves travel · Remote capable
Related interests
Conventional (organizing) · Social (helping) · Investigative (analytical)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Government, policy and administration.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: survey researcher · United States
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- Canada Job Bank — Search job profiles (search: statistical officer) · Canada
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- Government of Canada — Jobs in the federal public service · Canada
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Government, policy and administration in Canada, not a figure for Census and survey officer. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Government, policy and administration family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: education pathways
Some roles in Government, policy and administration may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: licensing
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