ABSTRACT
Neurodiverse conditions encompass dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders and autism, including Asperger's syndrome. This means that neurodiversity is by no means a rarity. Bringing neurodiverse talent into a business often means changing the hiring process in recognition of the fact that different people express themselves in different ways. Employees in neurodiversity programmes need to be allowed to deviate from established practices. The European Union faces a shortage of 800,000 Information technology (IT) workers by 2020, according to a European Commission study. The biggest deficits are expected to be in strategically important and rapidly expanding areas such as data analytics and IT services implementation, whose tasks are a good match with the abilities of some neurodiverse people. Neurodiversity programmes can produce a broad range of benefits. Firms have become more successful at finding and hiring good and even great talent in tough-to-fill skills categories. Nevertheless, the neurodiverse population remains a largely untapped talent pool.
