Autistic Australians are being locked out of the workforce

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Australians living with autism are being locked out of the workforce, while some of those who found paid employment say they have previously lost a job because they are on the spectrum, new research claims.

A study commissioned by autism peak body Amaze, and described as an Australian-first by its authors, surveyed the employment experiences of those living with autism and their carers, as well as attitudes towards autistic people in the workforce.

Released on Thursday, it finds 53.9% of the unemployed autistic people surveyed said they had never held a paid job, despite wanting to join the workforce.

Among those who were in part-time or casual work, more than half wanted to be working more hours than they currently did, according to the Centre for Health and Social Research and ACU study. The sample size was 1,297.

The most common barrier was a lack of support to find a job (32.6%), followed by being unable to attend interviews due to autism/anxiety (30.9%), and a lack of understanding from employers (29.2%). Only 12.9% said they did not want to work.

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“The study revealed that there is gross underemployment for autistic Australians and that their abilities are underestimated and underutilised in the workplace,” the Amaze chief executive, Fiona Sharkie, said.

She said the unemployment rate for autistic people was 31.6%, which was three times the rate of people with disability and almost six times the rate of people without disability.

Kate Halpin, a consultant at the recruitment agency Specialisterne, said while there were roles that were “stereotypically” more suited to people with autism, those on the spectrum could be placed into most positions.

Common jobs included work in IT, quality and assurance, data analytics, risk and finance, and engineering.

Halpin said some employers often believed taking on an autistic employee would be “too hard” but doing so could be as easy as allowing flexible hours and improving sensory conditions through lighting or noise-cancelling headphones.

“Individuals on the spectrum often have such a high work ethic,” she said. “We have to tell them to go home when they’re sick because they’ll come in anyway. They have really strong problem-solving skills, often paired with a low error rate.”

Halpin said her agency instead referred applicants to employers after a longer process that involved practical activities and tasks.