Just 1 in 3 adults of working age with Autism are in employment
Number of adults of working age with Autism:
Not in employment or in employment (000s / %), 2022/23
Source: Matchtech analysis of ONS data
Despite a significant increase in the number of working-age adults diagnosed with autism since the pandemic began, the employment rate for this group has risen slowly and recently plateaued at 30%.* According to research by the National Autism Society, more than 77% of adults with autism want to work. This leaves a significant number of adults with autism outside of employment.**
* ONS - Labour Force Survey
** National Autistic Society - The Autism Employment Gap: Too much information in the Workplace, 2016
Amongst those diagnosed with the disability of depression, bad nerves or anxiety, whilst numbers are rising, the proportion in employment is falling.
Number of adults of working age with depression, bad nerves or anxiety: Not in employment or in employment (000s / %), 2022/23
Source: Matchtech analysis of ONS data
Number of adults of working age with a mental illness or other nervous disorder: Not in employment or in employment (000s / %), 2022/23
Source: Matchtech analysis of ONS data
For those diagnosed with a mental illness or other nervous disorder, whilst both the number and proportion in employment are rising, the percentage of those in work remains on a similar level to those with Autism.
Moreover, employment levels within these two cohorts (Autism and a Mental Illness or Other Nervous Disorder) are notably out of kilter with those living with all disabilities (54%) who, in turn, lag notably behind those without a disability (82%).
Source: Matchtech analysis of ONS data
Percentage in adults of working age in employment, with or without disability: 2022/23
With no disability 82%
All with disability 54%
All with mental health conditions 49%
Depression, bad nerves or anxiety 54%
Mental illness or other nervous disorder 35%
Autism 30%
As a useful indicator of the challenges faced by neurodivergent people, the recently published Buckland Review of Autism Employment summarised the state of play amongst both those seeking work and those with this condition who have found it challenging.
…of autistic graduates find full time work within 15 months of graduating
On their route into work, Buckland reports that:
Autistic graduates are twice as likely to be unemployed after 15 months as non-disabled graduates, with only 36% finding full time work in this period.*
Autistic graduates are most likely to be overqualified for the job they have, most likely to be on zero-hours contracts, and least likely to be in a permanent role.
* Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services: What Happens Next? (2022)
There is a wide range of potential barriers to work for autistic people; poor preparation by employers, unfair hiring practices, unclear processes and outdated attitudes all play a role. From a young age, autistic people are less likely than their peers to have the time, connections or support to seek out work-related experiences and career advisors are often poorly equipped to support autistic people. This has knock-on effects for later employment prospects.
Autistic people have far more negative experiences of interviews, group tasks and psychometric tests. Autistic jobseekers must navigate vague, generic job descriptions, ambiguous interview questions and challenging sensory environments, often with an emphasis on social skills rather than job skills. Many feel they must mask their autistic traits to succeed.
“Even after finding work, maintaining long-term employment remains a challenge for autistic people. Many do not receive the necessary support or adjustments to enable them to fulfil their role in the face of inaccessible sensory and social environments. Many autistic adults are not aware of their legal rights around reasonable adjustments.
Only around 35% of autistic employees are fully open about being autistic, with 1 in 10 not disclosing to anyone at work.* For those who do disclose, the most common time to do so is after starting a job – highlighting a persistent and well-founded fear of discrimination during the recruitment process.”
The Buckland Review of Autism Employment: report and recommendations, February 2024
* Diverse Minds Employment Survey
Crucially, as Buckland observes: “Autistic people can introduce different ways of thinking and working. A neurodiverse team is more likely to generate a wider range of ideas and avoid cognitive biases. Businesses are beginning to recognise this, with some of the world’s biggest companies now explicitly targeting recruitment of autistic and other neurodivergent people, although at this stage this is mainly confined to higher level, tech-based jobs.”
Crucially, as Buckland observes: “Autistic people can introduce different ways of thinking and working. A neurodiverse team is more likely to generate a wider range of ideas and avoid cognitive biases. Businesses are beginning to recognise this, with some of the world’s biggest companies now explicitly targeting recruitment of autistic and other neurodivergent people, although at this stage this is mainly confined to higher level, tech-based jobs.”
A recent study by Birkbeck, University of London provides a useful summary of what both those with Autism and employers feel are the key strengths of neurodivergent people. Whilst broadly in alignment, the research notes that “employers reported a lot more faith in their employees’ short-term memories and numeracy skills. Employees reported higher levels of creativity, hyper-focus, innovation and long-term memory ability.” *
* Birkbeck, University of London – Neurodiversity at Work 2023
Views of employees and employers on the strength of neurodivergent people
Creativity (having new ideas)
Hyperfocus (able to focus on specific work or projects)
Detail processing (able to notice and work with detail)
Innovative thinking (putting unusual ideas into practice)
Authenticity (being myself/themselves at work)
Visual reasoning (visualising things in my/their head)
Long term memory (remembering things from long ago)
Entrepreneurialism (starting a new business or project at work)
Verbal comprehension (understanding spoken words and language)
Cognitive control (being intentional about my/their thoughts)
Numeracy (thinking with numbers)
Visual-spacial skills (able to tell where things are in space)
Short-term memory (remembering things which just happened)
Source: Birkbeck, Neurodiversity at Work 2023
Representative of employer
A neurodivergent worker
Creativity (having new ideas)
Hyperfocus (able to focus on specific work or projects)
Detail processing (able to notice and work with detail)
Innovative thinking (putting unusual ideas into practice)
Authenticity (being myself/themselves at work)
Visual reasoning (visualising things in my/their head)
Long term memory (remembering things from long ago)
Entrepreneurialism (starting a new business or project at work)
Verbal comprehension (understanding spoken words and language)
Cognitive control (being intentional about my/their thoughts)
Numeracy (thinking with numbers)
Visual-spacial skills (able to tell where things are in space)
Short-term memory (remembering things which just happened)
Representative of employer
A neurodivergent worker
Source: Birkbeck, Neurodiversity at Work 2023
While awareness is growing about the unique strengths neurodivergent candidates bring to the workforce, research from Birkbeck shows that only about one in five UK employers have an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) policy that specifically addresses neurodivergence. Without such a focus, it’s unlikely that an organisation’s culture fully recognises the value this demographic offers. This may be a key reason why so many neurodivergent adults face challenges in both securing employment and thriving within it.
Policy prevalence
…reported having an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy
…reported that this included disability
…reported that this included a focus on neurodivergence
Source: Birkbeck, Neurodiversity at Work 2023
Key takeaways and recommendations:
With just 30% of UK-based adults identifying with Autism in employment in 2022/23 – and an indicator that more than three quarters want to be in work – there is huge potential for employers to benefit by bridging that employment gap. Yet with just one in five (22%) UK employers having an ED&I policy in place that includes a focus on neurodivergence, it is clear that there is so much more work to do before UK plc. is ready and able to adjust its DNA to a sufficient degree to harness this potential.
With just 30% of UK-based adults identifying with Autism in employment in 2022/23 – and an indicator that more than three quarters want to be in work – there is huge potential for employers to benefit by bridging that employment gap. Yet with just one in five (22%) UK employers having an ED&I policy in place that includes a focus on neurodivergence, it is clear that there is so much more work to do before UK plc. is ready and able to adjust its DNA to a sufficient degree to harness this potential.
Without doubt, it is within the fields of Technology and Engineering that there is the greatest potential to harness the talents of the neurodiverse talent pool. As such, having worked with numerous organisations to help them to encourage neurodiverse applicants - and nurture them thereafter – we have compiled the following resources, which offer actionable insights for employers keen to attract more neurodiverse candidates to their organisation:
Five reasons why neurodiversity is Technology and Engineering’s secret weapon
Without doubt, it is within the fields of Technology and Engineering that there is the greatest potential to harness the talents of the neurodiverse talent pool. As such, having worked with numerous organisations to help them to encourage neurodiverse applicants - and nurture them thereafter – we have compiled the following resources, which offer actionable insights for employers keen to attract more neurodiverse candidates to their organisation:
Five reasons why neurodiversity is Technology and Engineering’s secret weapon