Autism and employment

Photograph of glass-covered high rise buildings typically associated with banks.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics highlight that only 21.7% of autistic adults are employed, compared to 53.6% of all disabled people. CRAE researchers want to help get more autistic people into meaningful employment. We study several different aspects of employment, including:


Discover Autism Research and Employment (DARE): DARE is a collaboration between CRAE and the autism research charity Autistica.ย  Through DARE, we work with organisations across the UK to understand the experiences of autistic employees and job seekers. DARE aims to builds a holistic and longitudinal evidence base for understanding the factors behind the current autism employment gap disadvantaging autistic adults. As part of the DARE initiative, we have explored autistic people’s experiences of various aspects of employment including hiring processes, workplace adjustments, and workplace masking.

CRAE lead: Anna Remington with Jade Davies


Experiences of autistic interns at Deutsche Bank UK: In September 2017, global banking and financial services company, Deutsche Bank, funded by UK research charity Autistica, launched a unique internship programme aimed specifically at autistic graduates to address the autism employment gap. CRAE produced research that evaluated the programme and gathered the experiences of all involved. We provided evidence in favour of such schemes, as well as recommendations for improvement.

CRAE lead: Anna Remington with Liz Pellicano


Disclosing a diagnosis of autism in the workplace: CRAE researchers studied the impact that the disclosure of an autism diagnosis might have in the workplace.

CRAE lead: Anna Remington with Mel Romualdez


Autism and the performing arts: Together with The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), CRAE researchers studied the prevalence of autistic traits in the performing arts (and related strengths and challenges). This research is used to design interventions (such as a professional mentoring scheme) to promote the inclusion of autistic people in education and employment.

CRAE lead: Anna Remington with Ellie Buckley


Key publications:


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