Goldman Sachs to hire more people with autism, dyslexia and other disorders
On the heels of World Autism Awareness Day, investment bank Goldman Sachs announced it is launching a new program to hire more people with autism in an effort to boost diversity.
In a memo to employees on Tuesday, the bank said that its launching an eight-week paid internship for individuals with neurological differences, including autism, dyslexia, developmental disorders, mental health conditions and ADHD.
The individuals choosen will receive "on-the-desk" work experience as well as mentoring opportunities and professional development training at the firm.
Goldman said it's partnering with leading neurodiversiy experts to help them identify candidates and prepare them for the program.
"Applications for the 2019 program will open this summer, and I encourage you to share the initiative with people who identify as neurodiverse and may be interested in learning more. The program will begin in the US, with plans to expand to other regions in the future," the company told employees Tuesday.
In a LinkedIn post following the announcement, Dane Holmes, head of Human Capital Management for Goldman Sachs said the firm was prompted to launch the initiative by the staggering unemployment numbers for those on the autism spectrum, which run as high as 80 percent.
"A perplexing statistic considering research shows they often have higher IQs and levels of attention to detail and productivity compared to neurotypical individuals. This is a missed opportunity for employers and society, considering this highly intelligent and skilled talent pool embodies intense levels of concentration and dependability, and often higher retention rates than neurotypical people," Holmes wrote.
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The news, however, isn't new. In recent years, amid a tight labor market, many big firms have made moves to appeal to employees who are on the autistic spectrum. Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, EY and big technology giants such as Microsoft, IBM and Ford have all made commitments.