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Staffing issues in accounting have moved beyond a "top-ofmind" concern for CPA firms: it is at the tipping point of a crisis. With a significant cohort of the baby boom generation retiring and the lowest unemployment rates in recent years, there are many more open positions than candidates for employment. It is a unique moment in history that may lead to a greater recognition of the contributions and employment of neurodiverse people.
Neurodiverse people include those with conditions such as the following:1
* Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
* Developmental speech disorders
* Dyslexia
* Dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia
* Intellectual disability
* Tourette syndrome
* Mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder
* Social anxiety
According to Harvard Health Publishing, neurodiversity can be defined as "the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one 'right' way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits."2
Such conditions refer to variations in the human brain and cognition that affect certain activities that are often taken for granted, such as sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions. Some neurodiversity statistics indicate that between 15% and 20% of the worldwide population is considered neurodiverse, and it appears to be more prevalent in men than women. Research reveals that conditions such as autism and dyslexia can confer special skills in pattern recognition, memory, or mathematics. Individuals with autism frequently present with higher-thanaverage IQ scores. In work settings, studies have shown that neurodiverse teams are 30% more productive than neurotypical ones, with fewer errors. However, neurodiverse people are more likely to be unemployed than individuals with any other disability, and adults with such conditions have unemployment rates in the 30% to 40% range. The accounting profession should keep an open mind about this population as we grapple with our ongoing diversity efforts.
Growing Diversity - Background
Decades ago, a dearth of women in accounting spurred an effort to increase the proportion of female accounting degree graduates, leading to a more gender diverse staff hired by CPA firms. An honest and unflinching look at the profession of late - hopefully not too late - has brought attention and corrective action in...