An IT consulting and software development firm that hires technology professionals on the autism spectrum is resuming its Columbus-area launch after a more than yearlong delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Auticon placed about a half-dozen employees, all working from home, with clients including Nationwide and CoverMyMeds over the past year, but with no in-person events hasn't yet reached its goal of 50 Central Ohio employees, spokesman David Reeve said. Internationally, more than two-thirds of Auticon's 300 employees are on the spectrum.
"As a company, we didn't grow during the pandemic, but we didn't shrink," Reeve said. "It was all about protecting the jobs and clients we already had."
Now Auticon is ready for the expansion it had planned starting in late 2019. A job fair, delayed from last summer, is set for Sept. 14 at Ohio State University's Fawcett Center.
Services include data and business analytics, artificial intelligence, software development including within the Salesforce platform, and quality assurance and testing. Based in Germany, Auticon's U.S. headquarters is in California, while U.S. CEO David Aspinall is in Dallas.
The unemployment rate is as high as 85% among autistic adults. Auticon employees in a recent survey had averaged nearly two years of unemployment before this job, Reeve said. No matter their skills or training, social situations such as a competitive job interview present barriers, and many drop out of the workforce altogether.
"They're not on LinkedIn, they're not sending out their resume," Reeve said. "There is a very real sense of discouragement that sets in."
Others have transferred to the company from jobs where on the surface they were succeeding, but struggling to mask their autism. Depending on where someone is on the spectrum, everyday workplace characteristics like handshakes or the sounds of clacking keyboards can induce incredible anxiety.
A social benefits organization, Auticon operates at low margins to provide additional training and support services to the employees it places with clients.
Auticon currently has seven openings, all of them by client request requiring at least one year of relevant experience. While not hiring beginners, Auticon has put some less experienced professionals through the Udacity training program.
After a year of all virtual work, the leadership team is eager to meet clients and partner organizations in person at the job fair, Reeve said. As well as general recruiting, Auticon has worked closely with service providers including Goodwill, Bridgeway Academy and I Am Boundless.
The indoor space is large and university policy requires wearing masks indoors. The company requests registering for the free event here.
