Nineteen recommendations have been made by the Buckland Review of Autism Employment to help people with autism find and stay in work.
Currently, only three in ten are in work, mainly due to stigma and lack of understanding about the needs of autistic people.
The review by Sir Robert Buckland MP, calls for new initiatives to support job seekers and employers including IT systems that meet the needs of autistic people, training packages for autistic staff and support groups where those in work can support job seekers.
Autistic people, charities, support groups and companies contributed to the review which found that autistic people are often paid less than mainstream employees. People with autism were usually at a disadvantage from the start as routine job interviews were situations in which they rarely excelled. Employers too often failed to explain the role they were recruiting for clearly and explicitly.
The review, supported by the charity Autistica, recommended the Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index which explains how companies can include autistic people. It suggested that big employers should test ideas for employing people with autism which then were rolled out to smaller companies.
A five-year time frame was set out for businesses and government to work together to achieve the aims of the review.
