Apr. 10, 2022 "Canada needs workers — so why aren't more companies hiring the neurodivergent?": Today I found this article by Laura MacNaughton on the CBC news:
Only 1 in 3 people with autism are employed. But many more of those on the spectrum want to work
The founders of a job fair for those with autism don't only want to find careers for an untapped workforce — they also hope employers will realize these highly skilled job seekers can help solve a national labour shortage.
"People with autism are very much capable of working and they are some of the best employees," said Neil Forester who, along with his business partner Xavier Pinto, created the Spectrum Works Job Fair that ran Friday.
Now in its sixth year, the job fair has grown from having 150 attendees to almost 2,000 job seekers with autism, all looking to connect with recruiters and hiring managers at major tech, finance, hospitality and retail companies across the country. Though it's been held in various cities, the job fair was a virtual event this year and last.
Getting companies to take part, though, has been a struggle.
Of the 10,000 employers Forester and his team have reached out to in the last six years, just 40 companies took part in this year's job fair.
"The majority of the time we don't get any response," Forester said.
The creators of the fair say they understand there is a wide range of abilities across the autism spectrum and, while perhaps not every person with autism is employable, both Forester and Pinto are confident a large portion of this community can and wants to work.
And Forester questions why more employers aren't looking at this neurodiverse talent pool to help solve the labour shortages that so many companies are experiencing.
A national labour shortage
In the last quarter of 2021, Canadian employers were looking to fill 915,500 jobs, up 63 per cent from the year before, according to Statistics Canada.
And with the current unemployment rate so low, "virtually all industries are bumping up against labour shortages," wrote Royal Bank economist Nathan Janzen in an economic update this week.
Even with the demand for workers, employment barriers remain for Canadians with autism.
Data compiled by the Public Health Agency of Canada found that in 2017 just
33 per cent of Canadian adults with autism reported being employed
compared to 79 per cent of adults without a disability.
Forester said he was unaware of just how few neurodiverse employees there are in the workforce before he started the job fair.
"I just didn't realize how big of a problem this was or how big of an issue this was to the community," he said.
He attended the Spectrum Works job fair last year and got a job offer.
"It was overall a very positive experience. I met not only recruiters, but also other
facilitators,
coaches,
government agencies,
non-profits,
you name it," said Herrera who now works as a business systems analyst with an insurance company based in Vancouver.
Herrera is encouraged to see that some employers purposefully seek out people with autism, but he feels that "as a society we are still doing baby steps" to get more people who are neurodiverse into the workforce.
The 'Big Four' are buying in
That said, there are some companies specifically tapping into this talent pool, including two of the so-called "Big Four" accounting firms.
In the last few years, Ernst & Young has made strides in diversifying its hiring strategy.
The multinational launched the Neurodiversity Centre of Excellence in Toronto in November 2020, with a goal of recruiting employees with
autism,
ADHD
or other sensory and cognitive differences.
"We're dying for talent as an organization," said Anthony Rjeily, a partner at Ernst & Young and the company's neurodiversity program national leader. "So we wanted to see if there was any talent pool out there that we could potentially tap into."
Since the launch of the program, the company has recruited 45 neurodiverse employees to their Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and Montreal offices — and plans to expand recruitment in other cities.
Rjeily said the initiative has more than paid off, noting the retention rate among neurodiverse candidates that the company has hired is 98 per cent.
"The level of
creativity,
the innovation,
the productivity
that they are able to deliver is incredible," he said.
Mohit Verma was one of the first people Ernst & Young hired in 2020 through the neurodiversity recruitment program.
"At EY my work revolves around certain sub-competencies such as automation, data science and, to some extent, blockchain," Mohit said in an interview with CBC News. "So far I have been part of five to six main projects."
Deloitte Canada is another corporation with an eye on hiring the neurodiverse.
In an attempt to better understand the barriers and workplace needs of neurodiverse workers, the accounting giant teamed up with Auticon Canada, a global technology consulting firm that employs people with autism and recently did a survey along with Deloitte of what the needs of employees with autism might be.
Changing the interview process
The survey, 'Embracing neurodiversity at work: How Canadians with autism can help employers close the talent gap,' was done between July and October 2021.
It included 454 respondents with autism who completed the survey online,
as did seven companies that had neurodiversity in their workforces were interviewed over videoconferencing.
In their survey, they found that 41.7 per cent of respondents were underemployed, meaning they were working on a part-time, contract or temporary basis or were doing jobs that were "under their educational capabilities," said Roland Labuhn who is a partner with Deloitte Canada.
One of the most eye-opening findings was that the hiring process itself could be a major barrier, as 40 per cent of those polled said the job interview was a "great challenge" for them.
"The people we surveyed felt that the interview was a trick or scary," said Labuhn, who worries that the typical job interview process could eliminate some highly qualified candidates with autism.
With a goal of getting better at both recruiting and retaining neurodiverse workers, companies like Deloitte and Ernst & Young are trying to change the interview process so that it focuses more on competence rather than how a candidate might behave in a certain scenario.
That kind of accommodation provides hope to people like Pinto and Forester.
The inspiration for their job fair came out of Pinto's concerns about his son's future. Xavi, 12, is on the spectrum and is "so creative," his father said.
He's "really focused on what he wants done."
And seeing more employers begin to sign up for the job fair gives him hope that he's helping to create a world in which his son can go after his dreams.
Canada needs workers — so why aren't more companies hiring the neurodivergent? | CBC News
May 16, 2022 "How neurodiverse perspectives can help fuel innovation": Today I found this article by Mary Teresa Bitti on the Financial Post:
Talent with adaptable technology skills were hard to come by well before companies found themselves caught up in the Great Resignation.
The pandemic led millions of workers – particularly in technology fields – to rethink their careers and quit their jobs, leaving companies in a state of uncertainty wondering where their next great talent might come from. The good news is that there’s an incredible untapped market that is often overlooked all around us.
But finding these skilled workers will require companies to broaden their search and think beyond traditional recruitment approaches.
As businesses continue to transform at accelerated rates, finding new paths to innovation to deliver new, diverse perspectives to the table is critical to drive long-term value and gain a competitive advantage.
It’s a journey EY Canada has been on for years. By expanding the definition of diversity, it has opened the door to a significant, yet untapped group of technically skilled people: our neurodiverse community.
“EY and companies across industries are looking for people with
data analytics,
cybersecurity,
technology,
automation
and other technical skills,”
says Anthony Rjeily, EY Canada’s Digital Transformation and Innovation Leader.
“There are 600,000 neurodivergent adults in Canada and 120 million worldwide with potential in these fields.
Many have advanced graduate degrees,
yet 86 per cent of this population is under- or unemployed.”
Neurodiversity defines the natural brain variations that cause people to think, learn and behave differently than what is considered the cognitive norm, or neurotypical.
It’s estimated that at least 15 per cent of the world’s population is neurodivergent, which includes
Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,
dyslexia,
autism
and other cognitive profiles.
Diverse thinking is an advantage and requires a different approach to both learning and working.
“Although neurodiverse minds are a natural variation of our collective human biodiversity, those who don’t fit traditional definitions face obstacles because the working world is not designed for differences,” says Tammy Morris, EY Canada’s Neurodiversity Centres of Excellence Network Leader.
“As a result, employers are less prepared for different thinking, learning and communication styles.”
Neurodivergent individuals have advanced skill sets that include areas such as
math,
logic
and visual organization
and can recognize patterns or find solutions others don’t see.
However, qualified candidates often don’t make it past recruiting interviews, which rely on behavioural questions that create the potential for bias.
“These individuals may not do well in these settings and often don’t succeed in first and second interviews,” says Rjeily.
“Given the lack of rewarding career opportunities,
they give up
and take jobs to make ends meet.
It’s a huge, missed opportunity that can bring tremendous benefit in terms of the talent agenda and unlocking innovation for employers and individuals.
We’ve seen retention rates of 92 per cent globally, which is amazing given that in technological fields we’re seeing attrition rates of up to 30 per cent.”
In 2016, EY launched its Neurodiversity Centres of Excellence model in the U.S. to better
recruit,
onboard,
develop
and integrate a neurodiverse workforce into its business.
Through the model, these professionals can support client innovation and automation projects in an inclusive and supportive environment, conducive to their unique individual needs and skills.
EY Canada has since created a national team that spans Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, and Montreal, hiring over 44 neurodiverse team members with skills in business and technology consulting, data analytics, digital, blockchain, robotics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Each of EY Canada’s Neurodiversity Centres of Excellence team members is embedded in a specific consulting area aligned with their strengths, “providing personalized support in terms of onboarding, development and navigating a global firm so they can be successful and grow their career trajectory at EY,” says Morris.
“By embedding this approach into the fabric of our workplace,
individuals not only feel a sense of belonging,
but that they can bring their full and authentic selves to work and
feel seen,
heard,
valued
and celebrated for their differences.”
EY’s neurodiverse teams have helped identify
process improvements,
accelerated automation,
and helped advise across industries and sectors.
They’re bringing fresh perspectives to client engagements that are leading to new, innovative solutions.
The benefits are clear: a newfound sense of professional belonging for neurodiverse employees, and increased productivity, innovation, and a stronger corporate culture for EY and significant value-add for their clients, thanks to the program’s alignment with EY’s purpose of “building a better working world.”
EY Canada is recruiting in Quebec City and Calgary and set to launch its first neurodiverse internship program in May, as the program continues to roll out globally with programs in India, the UK and Spain.
“Canada is at the forefront of our initiative,” says Rjeily. “We are growing the team significantly over the next two years because we know the talent is out there, and available, and we have a need.”
Businesses across Canada are taking note and following EY Canada’s lead. In return, the firm is leveraging its growing ecosystem of clients, academia, and community services organizations – and its proven methodology – to help companies establish their own neurodiversity programs.
National Bank recently collaborated with EY Canada to expand neurodiversity within its teams of data engineering analysts and data scientists through a customized talent experience.
“Neurodiversity is essential for any organization,” says Rjeily.
“The combination of thinking and working differently allows us
to create optimal teams
and optimal value,
giving EY a competitive edge in the market. We have seen our impact increase drastically since we’ve been on this journey.”
Companies see
increased productivity,
modernization,
and a stronger workplace environment
by bringing everyone to the table.
As the business world rapidly transforms, it is time more organizations recognize the impact neurodiverse professionals can have on innovation, culture and, ultimately, building a better working world.
Four steps to building a neurodiverse-rich workforce
Tammy Morris, EY Canada’s Neurodiversity Centres of Excellence Network Leader shares four best practices.
Be transparent: Let people know you’re intentionally seeking to hire neurodiverse talent.
In advance of the interview, provide candidates with
the steps of your hiring process,
who they will meet
and the questions they will be asked.
Focus on technical competence: Give candidates opportunities to demonstrate their skills.
Customize exercises based on the skills you’re hiring for and the “must have” needs for your business.
Build comfort early: Create opportunities for candidates to share openly, be themselves and meet other professionals, or future team members so they’ll already have familiar colleagues when they join.
Leverage mentorship: When onboarding, match new hires with a peer mentor. “All EY team members are matched with an EY Buddy or mentor when they join the firm.
Both mentors and mentees find added meaning to their work, and mentorship supports onboarding and retention, so it’s a win-win-win.” says Morris.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’ commercial content division, on behalf of EY Canada.
How neurodiverse perspectives can help fuel innovation | Financial Post
"Canadian employers face 'resistance' as they seek to increase office days"/ "What is the future of remote work?"
"'Employees will just say no': Bosses pushing staff back to the office could be fighting a losing battle"/ "More people want to work from home, but remote job postings are declining"
https://www.stokesstores.com/en/
Da Pop Up Shop: they opened in Oct. 2024.
I was at Kingsway to pass some resumes. There are these holiday season stores:
Hickory Farms
Calendar Club
Wed. Dec. 4, 2024 Bus: I went to West Edmonton mall for a job interview. The interview was average.
I take 2 buses to get there. I had to wait for like 25 min. for the #7 West Edmonton mall bus. There were 3 #7 buses that came in a row.
I talked a bit to this East Indian girl waiting for the bus to go to MacEwan.
Tracy: Let me guess, you're studying nursing.
Girl: No.
Tracy: Business.
Girl: Yes.
Tracy: Like finance?
Girl: Business analyst.
We get on the bus at 1:30 pm. I go to the mall. I then go home and have a bit of a nap on the bus. I stop at the downtown bus stop at 4pm. She was there.
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