Focusing on autistics strengths to create 1 million jobs worldwide

Danish company Specialisterne (the Specialists) wants to help create 1 million jobs worldwide for high functioning autistic workers by focusing on their strengths instead of their weaknesses.

Owned by the nonprofit Specialist People Foundation, Specialisterne outsources workers with autism and similar challenges once seen as unemployable to perform high-paid consulting tasks in the IT, telecom, healthcare, and financial services sectors.

While people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can have difficulty with communication and understanding social cues, their talents often include strong focus and concentration, the ability to recall details, and the perseverance to perform repetitive tasks — a great match for jobs like software testing, quality control, and data entry.

For some companies, highly functioning autistic workers represent an untapped talent pool to fill highly skilled jobs. For individuals diagnosed with autism, the employment offers an opportunity for self-sufficiency. Of the 15 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 64 with a disability, just 4.1 million were employed, said the U.S. Department of Labor.

Founded by entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne, whose own son is autistic, Specialisterne embraces the “dandelion philosophy” which says the plant can either be a weed or a useful herb, depending on the viewpoint.

Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via Untapped Talent for High Skill Jobs – Sponsored – The Atlantic.