85% of autistic adults with college education are unemployed

via EBN:

The conversation around fostering inclusive experiences in the workplace has to extend to neurodivergent talent — and it starts with equitable hiring practices.

At least 85% of autistic adults with a college education are unemployed, according to 2023 statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. In fact, of the estimated 477,000 job applicants that the Bureau of Labor and Statistics considers “discouraged workers,”  — someone who is eligible for employment and can work, but who is currently unemployed — 7,010 are estimated to be autistic.

“We’ve all been through an unstructured interview, where we sit down with a hiring manager, there’s some small talk, maybe a handshake, some eye contact. They’ll ask about you, your dreams and ambitions,” says Dr. Colin Willis, senior psychologist at talent experience platform HireVue. “That whole process is actually really having a negative impact on autistic candidates.”

A 2020 study of the performance of autistic job seekers by the U.K’s University of Bath and University College London found that autistic applicants are less likely to engage in “impression management,” which is the conscious or subconscious process in which someone will attempt to influence how people perceive them, using strategies such as persuasion and self-promotion. This causes autistic applicants to often rate poorly in confidence, communication skills and likability.