Sunday, May 8, 2022

Top Companies Seek Workers With Autism

by Shaun Heasley

Justin Pierce, who has autism and works as an account support associate, sits at his desk at EY offices in Chicago in 2019. EY is one of several employers that are advertising job openings on a new career portal targeted at neurodivergent individuals. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Major employers including Microsoft, Google, Freddie Mac and more are part of a newly launched job search platform directly aimed at recruiting employees with autism and other neurological differences.

The career portal known as the Neurodiversity Career Connector debuted last week. It’s intended to connect neurodivergent job seekers with openings at companies that have neurodiversity hiring programs in place.

The platform already features dozens of jobs — many of which are open to workers located across the U.S. — at Dell Technologies, Google, Travelers, IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, Freddie Mac, HP, Ford, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Bank of America, Prudential, SAP and elsewhere.

The site was developed by the Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable, a group of nearly 50 companies with neurodiversity hiring programs.

Those behind the site said participating employers are looking to tap talent with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Tourette syndrome and similar conditions.

“Neurodiverse individuals possess key competencies that are increasingly valuable to companies, such as strong problem-solving skills and unconventional thinking,” said Jill Houghton, president and CEO, of Disability:IN, a nonprofit previously known as the US Business Leadership Network which helps facilitate the employer roundtable. “A growing number of companies are seeing the value that diversity and inclusiveness brings to a company, and that’s why Disability:IN is proud to support the Neurodiversity @ Work Roundtable and help companies activate programs that work to hire neurodivergent candidates.”

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