The CEO and MD for auticon in Australia and New Zealand, Bodo Mann, joined The HR Leader to share auticon’s story – a business with 70 per cent of its workforce on the autism spectrum. Mr Mann explained that auticon isn’t a charity, even though its mission might be similar to charities that support neurodiverse workers. He shared what he feels Australia can learn from auticon’s work overseas, as well as how their approach to hiring supports people with autism.

A vital part of auticon’s work is helping their people find success in their current and future work, and Mr Mann explained how they facilitate this.

Businesses and candidates can find out more about working with auticon here (https://auticon.com.au/).

auticon kindly shared the below references following the podcast:

Autism and employment in Australia (https://www.amaze.org.au/creating-change/research/employment/#:~:text=In%20Australia%2C%20the%20unemployment%20rate,rate%20of%20people%20without%20disability)

4430.0 - Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2015 (https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/4430.0Main%20Features752015) states:

“The unemployment rate for people with autism spectrum disorders was 31.6%, more than three times the rate for people with disability (10.0%) and almost six times the rate of people without disability (5.3%).”

Employment program doubles employment for autistic youth (https://www.autismspeaks.org/science-news/employment-program-doubles-employment-autistic-youth)

Auticon impact report 2021 (https://auticon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/auticon-Impact-Report-2021-English-1.pdf)

Note from the editor: Please note that some statistics may have been slightly misquoted in the podcast recording.