why are there so few people with asperger's employed?

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A lot of it has to do with the social stuff. Advertised positions can get hundreds of applicants, which means that employers are more likely to place importance on eye-contact, experience and so on than more important stuff. I remember a case here in Norway where people were mortified when an employer decided to IQ test the applicants instead of asking the same f*cking questions everybody knew the f*cking answers to—despite the fact that IQ is far more useful in most contexts than good salesmanship. Secondly, most people get jobs through social connections; people on the autistic spectrum have very small social circles.

Since you yourself are a person with AS, what have been some practical ways that you've dealt with either social skill difficulties, or sensory issues in the workplace? I am curious, because I am always seeking to learn what strategies AS people have learned to work around these challenges.

I suck it up and simply deal with it, and then get on with my work.

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My current take on this topic (after reading through the posts) is that the main reasons that we're not more visible in the workplace are: (1) We don't want to be visible; (2) Not many people notice us; (3) Our social anxiety limits our educational progress; and (4) Our social awkwardness limits our employment opportunities.

This is extremely true.

In my personal experience I have found that the interview process is very difficult and scary, but if you are yourself and have something to show then that's really good for you, at least for career based jobs. Usually customer service based stuff is looking for people that they feel are friendly and warm, which a lot of autistics don't come off as. A good way to work around this is to "get into an act". Practice with other people. Even talking on the phone helps.

If you are truly qualified and practice you will have a good chance, but don't be discouraged if someone gets the job and you don't. It usually just means they were either more qualified. Keep trying, there's a big sea out there. DO NOT LIE, but also if you have things that are not relevant (such as, "Oh, I smoked a lot of dope when I was in college"), don't bring it up. Sell yourself. If you do do any illegal drugs make sure that you stop them as soon as you find out about an interview. Don't be stupid and try to "cheat" because if they catch you the consequences are worse. Unless you smoke marijuana chronically, most drugs will leave your system within 30 days, and most companies will use a urine test. Yes, I don't agree with MJ being illegal but it's how companies roll. Learn your company's illegal drug policy and remember, it is better to abstain than to dance around the system. Some companies are very relaxed about it while others are very aggressive about it.

Also, please do not restrict yourself to doing work you don't want. You have to eventually do things you don't like in life. That's the story OF life in human society. Everyone has to put up with it. If you cannot cope with doing things that you don't want to do you will have a lot of difficulty getting a job and you should work on strategies to getting around this flaw.

If you are employed you MUST be able to fulfill your duties. End of story. You must be punctual and you must follow their rules (not that this is usually a problem for aspies). When you're doing customer service stuff do not argue with people. There are many people that were downright offensive to my face that I had to just tighten my lip and just deal with it. Customers in these kinds of industries think you are worth nothing, but remember that they really aren't much better and they really aren't worth your time. You'll probably only see most of them once personally.

Also.

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I don't believe that statistic. Only 15% percent work? There's no way it could be that low considering most people with Aspergers have IQs that are either average or above average meaning they are more than capable of working. Perhaps that statistic is for people with general autism. Either way, I think finding employment is difficult for people on the spectrum but once they get the job, and if the job is their niche, most likely they are going to stick with that job for a long time and do well with it.

I think most of us have a hard time getting our foot in the door more than anything. Obviously, most of us probably struggle with the interview process and just getting past the interview process is extremely difficult. I will admit that I myself have never gotten a job where I went for an interview. I got my first job as a 17 year old kid who had a cousin who worked at the store so I was hired as a bag-boy and I barely had to speak and I got the job. I ended up doing a variety of jobs at that company for seven years. I stayed because I knew how hard changing jobs could be and more than anything, I was always afraid of change. My other job I got was through a temp agency where I was on call to fill in for people on vacation and when someone from the company quit, I was hired by the company; again without an interview required.

Now that job I got a year ago closed down so I'm unemployed. I have been on four job interviews and its not getting any easier. I have a hard time answering the questions, and sometimes I even go into silence and have to think for 10-20 seconds before I can respond which could be problematic. My poor social skills will give the interviewer the impression that I maybe qualified but that I don't have the social skills they are looking or that I don't know what I'm talking about. So obviously my conclusion is getting past the interviews for any people with aspergers is going to be a real challenge. Especially considering we are competing with many people who aren't on the spectrum at all.

My final conclusion is most of us probably can get some assistance with looking for a job through a rehabilitation commission who help people with disabilities go to work. If I don't get the job I just went to an interview for, my state's rehabilitation commission will be my last hope. They will train and coach us with interviews and seminars to help us out so I'm hoping perhaps getting some assistance will help us get past the interview demons.

Socializing/social network-based jobs (all of them really).... Many also have sensory issues (noise) .... and then there's the multi-tasking/pressure of practically every job.

Honestly, if I was offered a job taking care of a lighthouse I'd be all for it.. as long as I've a broadband internet connection

A normal or high iq doesn't mean that you can work. I'm 38 and worked a total of 7 weeks in my whole life (and not full time either) even though I have a 130 iq. Stupidity isn't the only barrier to being able to work.

The reason why less Asperger are employed, is not because there were in general so few Aspergers that CAN work. More Aspergers were able to do a job.

But actually in every country, there will be more then one person asking for a job.

So you have the Asperger asking for a certain job, that he can do.

And you have some NTs asking for the same job, that they can do, BUT additionally being able to do normal socializing with their coworkers and needing less special treatment.

If someone offers you the same workcraft, but additionally adds something as an bonus, you will hire that guy, and not the one without bonus.

To adapt to my missing social skills, I am normally offering my employers to pay a lesser loan. So actually, I offered them normally for a test time of 6 month an ridiculous low loan, so that even when mentioning my weirdness at an job interview, they had an interest to let me try fulfilling that position. If they are satisfied with my jobskills then and enhance my contract, then I agree with them already on the job interview for the later fee, that they will pay me, which is still normally lesser, then they had to pay someone else. (About 20% less then is usually payed.) Because of me working as engineer, this is luckily still absolutly sufficient for my normal spendings.

But if you dont have any superspecial powers that you can offer, you somehow have to match up, so that others, offering the same workcraft and skills, but additionally not being social morons, dont get prefered.

This is why the employment figures are so dismal. If you are getting to an interview, you've been deemed qualified for the job for the most part. However, people on the spectrum are generally not going to be the bubbly, extroverted, 'Let's be BFF', smoothly answer the questions type that employers want to see at the interview. We CAN work but nobody is hiring us because we do not fit the mold of the NT employee type.

There is also networking, a process that is not only very difficult to do but at it's core is about euphemisms and indirectness.

An aspie may polish his or her act enough to get the job and start off well with the new position but then run into trouble. When stressed or tired a meltdown may occur or your aspieness will come out and cause friction with your boss and coworkers. Acting or faking for a one hour interview is difficult, but not nearly as difficult as acting and repressing yourself for 40-70 hours a week.

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 01 Feb 2014, 9:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm a 20 year old aspie, and I didn't even get my first "official" job until less than a month ago. I have been paid to fix people's computers informally before, and other things like that, but I've never been employed by an actual company until recently. For a while I was considering going on government assistance, but my pride, as well as my shaky relationship with my doctor at the time interfered with that.

Ironically, I'm employed in the service industry as a grocery cashier, and while some days are alright, and sometimes even enjoyable when I encounter the right customers, most days are a pain in the ass for me, and dealing with difficult customers especially tends to wear me out. For this reason, I decided to cut back my hours somewhat, to give myself more time to relax and recuperate. My bosses know that I have Aspergers, and I believe they allowed me to cut back my hours partially for that reason. While working as a cashier, I've discovered that I seem to have a penchant for data entry, so that knowledge will definitely help me when I look for better jobs later on.