Tech Employment

Olga Kharif reports at Bloomberg Business:

Last year, a team of testers from New York-based Ultra worked to find software bugs for the company behind the Webby Awards, which honors Internet excellence.

"They found five-to-10 times more things than we found ourselves. We were astonished," said Steve Marchese, executive producer at Webby Media Group. "This is a really smart way to utilize the gifts that people on the spectrum have."

Businesses also have an incentive to employ people with autism because it helps them comply with Labor Department rules that went into effect last year. The regulation calls on companies that get federal contracts to increase hiring of people with disabilities so they make up 7% of staffing.

Integration can be challenging. Managing autistic adults often requires enhancing training, adapting work stations, adopting new communication skills and accepting non-traditional work methods. Employees need to adjust to the physical workplace with its noises and layout and social interactions with colleagues. Both sides need to be aware of comparable salaries to avoid exploitation.