50-75% of autistic adults in the U.S. are “unemployed or underemployed.” Some brands are trying to lower these statistics. Here are 10+ examples of companies hiring people with autism:
Auticon
Name of hiring autistic program: Become a destination for neurodivergent talent.
The gist: Auticon is a majority-autistic company and one of the world’s largest employers of autistic adults, with 400 employees (around 300 of whom are autistic) in 8 countries. They offer permanent roles working on client projects as:
- software engineers
- QA analysts
- data analysts
- and more
They offer a low-stress job interview process, an inclusive work environment, supportive job coaches, and customized career development support for employees.
BHP
Name of hiring autistic program: Neurodiversity through our team’s eyes
The gist: Partnering with the Autism Academy of Software Quality Assurance (AASQA)for an internship program welcoming under 20 interns since 2017.
BHP designs and deploys career paths for each intern and they work with AASQA, the International Software Testing Quality Board, and Curtin University in Western Australia.
The most common fields are data science, software development and testing, engineering and environmental safety.
source: BHP
Dell
Name of hiring autistic program: Dell Autism Hiring Program
The gist: Creating neurodiverse-friendly interviewing processes to attract more diverse candidates.
Dell’s strategy for hiring autistic people starts with:
“rethinking the traditional interview process and removing barriers that may limit an individual from fully showcasing their true abilities and potential.”
source: Dell
Ford
Name of hiring autistic program: FordWorks
The gist: Providing hiring, training, and on the job support for people with autism and or another neurodiversity.
The FordWorks hiring autistic program:
“has quickly expanded by utilizing the strengths and insights these valued members of our community have to offer. FordWorks participants bring their skills to teams in IT, Product Development, Credit, and Manufacturing and we are looking to expand the program to other roles across the company.”
source: Ford
Name of hiring autistic program: Google Cloud’s Autism Career Program (in partnership with Stanford Neurodiversity at Work)
The gist: Training 500 managers on better onboarding and coaching for autistic hires.
One goal of the Google autism hiring program is:
“to empower these Googlers to work effectively and empathetically with autistic candidates and ensure Google’s onboarding processes are accessible and equitable. Stanford will also provide coaching to applicants, as well as ongoing support for them, their teammates and managers once they join the Google Cloud team.”
source: Google Cloud
HP
Name of hiring autistic program: Spectrum Success Program
The gist: Removing traditional hiring practices that screen out applicants with autism.
HP’s hiring autistic employees program is a partnership with Vocational Rehabilitation and PROVAIL. The program focuses on:
“recruiting, hiring, and retaining qualified candidates with autism.”
source: HP
Ingram Micro
Name of hiring autistic program: ADVANCE+ e-stewards Program
The gist: Providing training for managers and supervisors on hiring autistic people.
Ingram Micro’s autism hiring program gives jobs to people with autism and other disabilities. Ryan Roudebush, a Senior Program Manager, calls their hiring autism program is a success with other businesses. He said:
“Where it’s been piloted before, the autistic employees have proven to be very adept at working in the recycling field, which involves a lot of repetition.”
source: Inside Indiana Business
JPMorgan Chase
Name of hiring autistic program: Autism at Work
The gist: Looking beyond traditional interview processes to find highly qualified employees including people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
James Mahoney, Executive Director and Head of Autism at Work for JPMorgan Chase, said:
“I firmly believe that companies could always benefit from having employees who see things in an unconventional way, which is something to remember any time an individual on the spectrum is seeking a job.”
source: JPMorgan Chase
Microsoft
Name of hiring autistic program: Microsoft Neurodiversity Hiring Program
The gist: Extending the interview process for autistic applicants to help Microsoft be a better “employer of choice”
The Microsoft autism program gives applicants an extended interview process focusing on workability, team projects, and skill assessment. The program website says:
“Our process gives candidates the opportunity to showcase their unique talents while learning about Microsoft as an employer of choice.”
source: Microsoft
Rising Tide Car Wash
Name of hiring autistic program: The business IS the program.
The gist: Creating a welcoming and inclusive working environment for people with autism so they can gain more work experience and learn what they excel in.
Rising Tide Car Wash hires mostly people with autism (or on the spectrum). In 2020, the program was such a success a 3rd location was opening.
Co-founder John D’Eri and his on Thomas opened a car wash business inspired by his other son diagnosed with autism as a toddler.
D’Eri’s mission:
“to create a social enterprise to give people with autism an opportunity to have real opportunities and real jobs that would challenge them and give them skills.”
source: Sun Sentinel
SAP
Name of hiring autistic program: Autism at Work
The gist: Encouraging non-traditional answers and skillset during the application process for people with a neurodiversity.
One of the earliest companies hiring people with autism is SAP. Their program started in 2013, and:
“leverages the unique abilities and perspectives of people with autism to foster innovation as we help customers become intelligent enterprises. The program taps into an underutilized talent source, reducing barriers of entry so qualified individuals can fully develop their potential. “
source: SAP
People want to know if these 5 companies are hiring autistic employees
These are the top 5 employer autism programs candidates search for on Google…This tells me candidates are clearly searching for companies that have autistic hiring programs.
- Amazon autism
- Walgreens hiring autism
- Facebook autism hiring program
- CBS hiring autism
- Tesla hiring autism
I couldn’t find any for the list above, but I will keep a lookout if that changes (and add them to the list).
If you are thinking about becoming a company hiring autistic employees, our blog 6 Tips for Hiring Autistic Workers might help!
Why I Wrote This?
Hiring autistic employees doesn’t have to be difficult. Ongig’s mission is to help remove bias from your job descriptions so you can be more inclusive to neurodiverse candidates. If you’d like a cloud-based software tool to write more inclusive job content, check out Ongig’s Text Analyzer.
Shout-outs:
- Why Autism Speaks Is Encouraging Companies To Hire Those On The Autistic Spectrum (by Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo)
- Employing autistic staff, Rising Tide Car Wash plans third location (by Scott Luxor)
- Ingram Micro Joins Program to Provide Jobs to Autistic Workers (by Alex Brown)
- Littleton’s Dirt Coffee Serves the Community for a Cause (by Erica Buehler)
