According to the UN, 80% of autistic people worldwide are unemployed or underemployed.

This means that autistic people, even those with a third-level education are not being given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Although no one autistic person is the same, many have qualities that can be valuable in the workplace.

Ahead of International Autism Awareness Day, We spoke to Business All-Star Accredited Charity ASD Ireland about some of the qualities that many autistic people possess and why you should consider employing people with autism in your business.

What is Autism?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.

Autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured’ and people often feel being autistic is a fundamental aspect of their identity.

Recruiting an autistic employee

Autistic people can be highly skilled and qualified and have a huge amount to offer employers across nearly every industry.

Many autistic people have a variety of sometimes exceptional skills, that enable them to thrive in roles ranging from sales assistant to computer programmer and everything in between.

However, autistic people are often disadvantaged when it comes to getting and keeping a job because of other people’s lack of understanding and support.

Autistic employees may need some, often simple, support within the workplace. With the right support, Autistic people can live fulfilling lives and thrive in a wide variety of careers.

Left to Right – Keith Enright, CEO & Founder, Lisa Howard, Director, Caroline Hogan, Director & Founder and Gary Flanagan, Director of ASD Ireland photographed with their All-Star Accreditation certificate.

5 reasons to hire an autistic employee

1. Autistic employees are very structured and thrive with routines, this means that they can provide employers with the skills to grow sales and will generally increase the productivity of the entire team.
2. Autistic employees are very friendly and customer-focused, it has been shown that the personality traits that autistic people display can mirror those of your customers which gives your customer the feeling that they have been understood.
3. A large number of autistic people have a special interest, This may be technology or IT based and given the right environment they can excel at this.
4. Autistic people see issues that others don’t, this may be foreseeing an issue in planning, development or execution.
5. Autistic people work better on details, the smallest detail may be missed by your other employees but not by someone with autism.

ASD Ireland (Autism Supporting Diversity) is a registered charity and non-profit organisation that provides socially inclusive activities for people with autism and their families.

It was founded by two parents Keith Enright and Caroline Hogan who both have teenagers with autism spectrum disorder.

ASD began with the development of Limerick Autism Group with a mission to address the lack of socially inclusive activities available for children in the county.

Today ASD provide autism camps, special needs sibling groups, movement groups and they work closely with local businesses to support them to become autism/sensory-friendly.

ASD Ireland can help your company to include autistic employees in your team, for more information email [email protected] or call 1800 71 88 65

To learn more about ASD Ireland, visit their All-Star showcase page here.