A recent Forbes article noted that the current unemployment rate for disabled individuals is about 9%. This is contrasted by the U3 unemployment number given as 3.4%. Whilst the government in America pats itself on the back for reaching close to “full employment,” an older article from Forbes noted that the unemployment rate amongst autistic individuals is closer to 85%. If you contrast the government’s current U3 number of 3.4% with the Shadow Stats unemployment number (they use the old government methodology, not the new and more politically advantageous methods) of 24.5% for the general population, I’m left wondering if there are only a few of us out here with jobs.
If 24.5% of the workforce is out of a job and actively working, what chance do disabled / different folks have of finding work? In the current mess, is there no place for autism? For those that can work, and want to, what are we to do?
Thanks for writing this! I worry about this problem a lot. I know there are a lot of autistic people who can work, and can't get past the job interview stage. I hope that's not your situation. It's been a problem for me recently, so I've been focusing more on freelancing.
We need to make job interviews more equitable to neurodivergent people. Business cultures also need to become more accepting of difference and able to make accommodations, so that those who do get a job, don't get fired.
I especially appreciate the unemployment rate statistics and link to the Forbes article. It came at the perfect time, as I'm writing about this topic myself. In fact, I'm working on a pitch for Forbes right now about a way to make job interviews more fair to autistic candidates!
(Hope you don't mind my saying this, but if you'd like to share any thoughts, experiences, statistics, etc. for this story, let me know!)
Thanks for writing this! I worry about this problem a lot. I know there are a lot of autistic people who can work, and can't get past the job interview stage. I hope that's not your situation. It's been a problem for me recently, so I've been focusing more on freelancing.
We need to make job interviews more equitable to neurodivergent people. Business cultures also need to become more accepting of difference and able to make accommodations, so that those who do get a job, don't get fired.
I especially appreciate the unemployment rate statistics and link to the Forbes article. It came at the perfect time, as I'm writing about this topic myself. In fact, I'm working on a pitch for Forbes right now about a way to make job interviews more fair to autistic candidates!
(Hope you don't mind my saying this, but if you'd like to share any thoughts, experiences, statistics, etc. for this story, let me know!)