Some Japanese companies have begun to actively hire people with developmental and mental disabilities by embracing neurodiversity. The change offers more inclusion and addresses the labor shortage.
The concept places emphasis on recognizing and utilizing the different ways the brain functions, rather than viewing them as a deficit. While neurodiverse employees may have weaknesses in some areas of responsibility, they excel in others. The focus is on letting employees work on tasks using their strengths. Especially in sectors such as IT and digital transformation, companies in Japan are increasingly recognizing the potential of these people and successfully integrating them into their work processes.
Welcoming differences
Kenta Awatari, president of JGC Parallel Technologies Inc., who founded the company in Yokohama, near Tokyo, in 2021, explains that an important aspect is that the tasks these employees take on should be “important but not urgent” so that they can work at their own pace and without strict deadlines. Among the differences that companies address is that some neurodiverse employees have difficulty commuting to work and very busy places and may be very sensitive to light and noise. To counteract this, Awatari allows his employees to work from home. In addition, tasks tend to be assigned to individuals rather than working in groups to avoid potential stress and comparison situations that could negatively affect employees.
The adjustments are greatly appreciated by employees. In weekly meetings, affected employees, such as Yuki Wakamiya, who suffers from dysthymia, a persistent depressive disorder, can exchange ideas with carers.
Awatari’s firm handles IT-related tasks for various companies in the JGC Group. Around 90 percent of the company’s 37 employees have developmental or intellectual disabilities. The company’s approaches have helped solve challenges within the JGC Group, and it plans to continue hiring 10 employees per year.
Inclusion is increasing
JGC Parallel Technologies Inc. is not the only one dedicated to inclusion. Neuro Dive, an office to help people with disabilities transition into the workforce that specializes in advanced IT work, aims to help people acquire highly specialized skills in areas such as AI, machine learning and data science, and also find employment for them. It is operated by Persol Holdings Co., a large recruitment company that operates in five locations, including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka.
By hiring and adapting to employees with neurodiversity, Japan can not only address the labor shortage and attract talented employees, but also provide targeted support to these individuals and better integrate them into society.
