Xceptional and Testgrid champion neurodiverse talent to help ease shortages

Xceptional, a Sydney-based neurodivergent recruitment firm, and HR tech company Testgrid, have come together to provide employers with solutions to appropriately assess neurodiverse candidates and push for them to make up for gaps in the workforce.

This announcement comes in light of the National Skills Commission’s Skills Priority List, which revealed that 31 per cent of the occupations assessed are experiencing skills shortages.

Xceptional chief technology officer Gareth Thomas commented on the announcement: “Over the years, our team has demonstrated that the strengths of neurodivergent employees, while often overlooked, are of significant value to employers.

“Building assessments to highlight the incredible skills of neurodivergent individuals allows for the identification of talent and skills which may not be uncovered using traditional recruitment methods,” said Mr Thomas.

“The Xceptional platform has been developed by a talented neurodivergent team of designers, software engineers and QA testers. We are proud of what we have created and thrilled to be partnering with Testgrid.”

As Brent Pearson reported for HR Leader on 10 November, The Sydney Morning Herald said “occupations in shortage rose from 153 to 286 over the past year”. And according to the The Australian Financial Review, in June, the OECD revealed that skill shortages in Australia are the second highest in the developed world. With this in mind, utilising all available talent may help ease pressure.

Testgrid chief operating officer Will Ainsley is looking forward to the collaboration: “I am really excited to be partnering with Xceptional as it furthers the aims of Testgrid to help our customers achieve success through people. A core part of our mission is to ensure that assessments offer valuable insight for hiring, whilst giving every candidate a chance to shine and show their potential. Throughout the discussions with Xceptional, it was clear that both our organisations share that aim, to help employers reach untapped talent and be fair and accessible to candidates.”

He continued: “I have been shocked by the level of unemployment and underemployment amongst neurodivergent people, even in the current tight labour market. Indeed, the UN estimates that 80 per cent of autistic adults are unemployed or underemployed.

“Our clients regularly tell us the cost of finding and hiring staff is increasing as they cannot find the number of candidates they used to. I believe those organisations who can think differently and take this opportunity will move ahead. I am confident that together, Testgrid and Xceptional, can help uncover this untapped talent to improve outcomes for organisations and candidates. We are passionate about the importance of diversity in the workplace. It is a core value of Testgrid as we know what diversity can do to help organisations succeed,” explained Mr Ainsley.