The autism employment gap: Too Much Information in the workplace

In April 2016, we launched Too Much Information – the UK’s biggest ever campaign aimed at improving public understanding of autism.

The start of the campaign drew attention to how poor public understanding of autism was pushing families into isolation – half of the people we spoke to told us they sometimes don’t go out because of worries over how people will respond to their autism. Just six months on, we know we are having an impact − public polling has shown that 16% more people are now aware that autistic people can find public spaces overwhelming – this equates to greater awareness among 10 million people.

Autistic people and their families have told us that understanding in the workplace is one of their top priorities for change. So, in this next phase of the campaign, we turn to autism and employment. Autistic people can have strengths which may be beneficial to employers, such as tenacity and the ability to see things in a different light, which can be great for problem solving. But they frequently tell us they experience too much information when applying for jobs and at work – for instance, being bombarded by questions at the jobcentre, by noisy open plan offices or with anxieties over following unwritten social rules.

Work will not be appropriate for everyone on the autism spectrum, but our latest survey of autistic adults and their families showed that the vast majority want to work. It also showed that too many autistic people are unemployed. Only 16% of adults are in full-time paid employment. And the situation hasn’t improved in almost a decade. Only 16% of autistic adults are in full-time paid employment. And the situation hasn’t improved in almost a decade.

The Government has promised to halve the disability employment gap, but autistic adults are being left behind. Their skills and abilities are being overlooked by both Government and employers. The Government must take specific action to reduce the autism employment gap. The number of autistic adults in work will need to double by 2020 if the Government is serious about this.

Employers can play their part too. By making simple changes to the workplace to reduce the overload of too much information and working with us to become Autism Friendly Employers, businesses can benefit from the potential of autistic employees and help them to be successful.

In this report we set out what the Government needs to do and how employers can play their role in finally tackling the autism employment gap.