Home
Others
Others News
SAP to hire people with autism

SAP to hire people with autism

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 22 May 2013 16:02 IST

German software giant SAP said on Tuesday it intended to employ hundreds of people globally with autism as software testers and programmers over the next seven years.

The company, which has already launched pilot projects in India and Ireland, said the move aimed to find workers "who think differently", leading to innovation.

By 2020, one percent of SAP's currently 65,000-strong workforce is expected to be affected by autism, a company spokesman told AFP.

In India the group said it had taken on six people with autism as software testers and that productivity and cohesiveness in key areas had increased as a result.

Under the Ireland-based pilot scheme, screening is being completed for five positions to be filled this year, it added.

SAP, which is working with Specialisterne, an organisation established in Denmark in 2004 on the scheme, said it would widen the programme globally, kicking off in the US, Canada and Germany this year.

"With Specialisterne, we share a common belief that innovation comes from the 'edges'," Luisa Delgado, a member of SAP's executive board said in a written statement.

"Only by employing people who think differently and spark innovation will SAP be prepared to handle the challenges of the 21st century."

Specialisterne aims to harness the talents of people with autism to work in technology-orientated jobs and operates internationally, the SAP statement said.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: SAP

Microsoft Xbox One: Will gamers want it?

Sony cuts sales target for cameras, smartphones for 2014-15

SAP to hire people with autism

Related Stories