What are the Best Jobs for Autistic People?

By: Vanessa Blanchard

I’ve had a lot of jobs in the last 20 years.  Some were great, others awful, but all of them burned me out.  Figuring out why I couldn’t hold a job helped me learn I’m autistic.  The majority of autistic adults are un or underemployed, largely because the demands of traditional jobs erase autistic needs.  So, are there jobs for autistic people?

I think yes, but the key to stable employment for autistic adults is to let meeting their needs become part of the job.  We often thrive in environments without hierarchies that foster authenticity.

My worst jobs were ones where hierarchies mattered greatly.  I’m always thrust to the bottom of social structures like this.  That’s what being “othered” is about. These are the jobs where needing accommodations is both a betrayal and a sign that you’re a liar.  

The worst job I’ve ever had was in real estate.  I wanted to talk about houses all day. Instead, I had to mask constantly and chase people’s approval.  Office work requires constant interruptions and phones make me anxious. I quickly found myself being manipulated and bullied within the office.

There were parts of that job I loved very much, but I couldn’t make it 4 months before I was fired.  The disappointment and embarrassment nearly broke me. It took me months to recover and I had to pay for therapy out of pocket just to last as long as I did.

My best job was the opposite.  I designed crochet patterns and sold them on Etsy.  This job let me organize my day around my needs. I could stim freely.  There were tasks that were good for bad sensory days, hyperfocus, or no focus, far fewer social and sensory demands, and new projects meant novelty within a routine.  Breaks were allowed because stillness brings innovation and clarity, which is integral for an art business.

I kept that job for several years before I decided to move on.  During that time, my mental health improved immensely. Building an expression, stitch by stitch is a tangible transmutation.  Finishing a thing is my favorite way to gain confidence.

I firmly believe that there could be a diverse range of  jobs out there for autistic adults that won’t chew them up and spit them out.  It will require innovation and perhaps a union so that we’re protected from discrimination, but it’s 100% possible for many more of us to have the independence and sense of purpose that employment offers.

Silicon Valley Dreams Meet Reality: The (Supposedly) Perfect Job for an Aspie

When thinking about the best job for an autistic person, it’s usually the tech industry that comes to mind. The geeky and eccentric Silicon Valley programmer archetype maps well onto stereotypes about autistic people. We’re often portrayed in media as latent mathematicians or computer whisperers, but many of us aren’t particularly good at math nor moderate debates between calculators.

I worked in IT having thought it was the most fitting career for me. And, in many ways, the job was fitting. However, office politics exasperated me.

In 2017, I was finally hired for the sort job I’d always hoped for. I was contracted to do mid-level cybersecurity work at a Fortune 100 company, and, if I performed well, there was a good chance of a steady, full-time spot on the team. I was ecstatic.

Then, a couple of months into the job, I realized how awful corporate life is. The quarterly performance evaluations made me and coworkers anxious about job security, which made the office feel competitive rather than cooperative. And most of the managers were callous and cutthroat because they would face repercussions if their team’s performance slipped.

The stress of masking combined with the company’s cutthroat work culture grew to be too much for me, so I left what I thought was my ideal job.

After that experience in IT, I felt drained but inspired to explore my other talents. I started taking writing more seriously and also worked as a professional tutor. Betraying the autistic archetype, I enjoyed writing and tutoring significantly more than any job I’d had in the three years I was working in the tech field.

Tutoring was refreshing for an autistic extravert like me, and it pays well for a side gig. Now, I’m working at a startup company called Embrace ASD, a research-based autism blog, and tutoring on the side. I discovered my niche and finally found work I'm passionate about doing with people I enjoy.

Rather than a perfect job for autistic people, it’s more about finding a work environment and culture that dissuades strict social rules and hierarchies; frankly, I believe that these changes would make the workplace more enjoyable not just for autistics, but for everyone.

So keep searching for your niche because we ought to at least be entitled to enjoying the work we do.

The lean autism at work guide to hiring your first autistic employees (including a Trello board checklist).

Autism at work is a hiring program designed to include autistic people in the workplace (it’s much needed since there are almost no jobs for people with autism and Aspergers). Companies like SAP, Microsoft, E&Y and more already hire autistic adults and Aspergers. This complete guide shares their experiences, learnings, and insights from the programs they run for adults with autism.  But while we can see evidence from huge corporations who successfully launched this program, I believe there can be a leaner version of that program, that fits smaller companies, startups, and SMBs who want to hire neurodivergent employees. Actually, I think there is probably a better chance that involving neurodivergents in smaller companies is easier (although the lack of resources) since the company is more flexible and it’s easier to raise awareness for autism. I hope the following guide, which is based on the above complete guide (but not endorsed by) + other resources on the Spectroomz blog (like to autistic-friendly employer meter) will help you do that.

1. Sell (and be sold on) the idea of hiring autistic people to your team and decision-makers. Here’re the benefits of hiring autistic people (ROI):

   • Autistic and aspergers people possess many desired skills, but generally have excellent tech orientation, which makes them a great talent for tech companies. There is an increasingly huge need for such employees (see HBR). 

   • Highly retained employees (to SAP 1% increase in general employee retention worth US$ 50M/year).

   • Tens of thousands of $ worth of tax benefits.

   • It adds to the general diversity of the company, which according to scholars and researches contributes to the ability to meet customer needs, creativity, innovation, and the accessibility of products. 

   • It enhances the company’s brand as an inclusive employer, and therefore attracts top talents. Anyone wants to work in an inclusive workplace that is open to everyone.  

   • Managers of autistic people become better managers to their neurotypical employees as well. They are more inclusive, give better feedback and set clear expectations.  

   • Existing autistic employees (who kept it confidential so far) will be happier (as indicated by Microsoft). According to a survey by StackOverflow, 2.6% of the programmers indicated they are autistic.

   • Many scholars identify autistic people as trustworthy, innovative, attentive to details, analytical thinkers, productive, reliable and more. Many of them become masters of their trade and therefore are immune to boredom. Now, go and search for these keywords in your current job listings and see for yourself you are already looking for such candidates. 

   • With 500,000 teens entering adulthood in the upcoming 10 years (in the US), and with direct and indirect annual costs of US$ 236 Billion to the American taxpayer, hiring autistic people and providing them with the professional fulfillment is both socially and economically right. 

   • Being more diverse means getting more diverse customers = more income.

2. How do I even start:

   • You should start with a pilot, nothing more. That means 1-2 hires in one location to get things going and learn (like startups that need to get to the market as soon as possible in order to get real feedback). 

   • Find a self-starter who can orchestrate everything and cares about the cause + see the great potential. Among others they will need to: 

     • Together with HR, D&I and management decide what roles will you hire for. The goal is to hire the right full-time employee for a meaningful role. A major factor will be the right manager and the right team, which need to be supportive and inclusive as well as dedicate the extra time. 

     • Decide on which location (if the company has several) will they hire based on the right team, managers and the company’s need. 

     • Write the job description together with the hiring manager and HR.

     • Design a proper screening process of candidates with the hiring managers and HR (more on that below) based on the job qualifications. 

     • Make sure you are able to accommodate the needs of your autistic employees (e.g. providing noise cancelation earphones, enable modification of the light for your autistic employees if needed, find proper space, etc.). 

     • Prepare online or offline preparation/education for other employees regarding autism (1-2 hours which can be done by an outsource consultant).  

     • If needed, form relationships with potential partners who can help sourcing candidates, consulting you on a day-to-day as well as coach your neurodivergent employees. 

     • Coordinate with legal. 

     • Secure the budget.

3. Scope of employment:

   • Autistic people’s skills are diversified, and so do the roles they can do. These are the roles they were hired to in Microsoft, SAP and more: Software engineers, data scientists, service engineers, finance, marketing, HR, project management, analysts, cyber, robotics, bankers and more. 

   • In most places, autistic people worked full time. Part-time and internships were also available. You should also consider enabling remote a day or two.

4. Sourcing the talent:

   • This is a solution Spectroomz intends to launch soon. 

   • You can source via potential partners and NGOs. 

   • Social media.

   • Referral from your current employees.

   • PR - notify the local press on your pilot, this could drive lots of candidates. Here’s how to do your own PR.  

   • Universities and colleges: 

     • Career services.

     • Work readiness program.

     • Academic units.

     • Disability units.

5. Interview and selection process:

   • At Microsoft, some of the autistic candidates who got accepted in the autism-tailored process, were rejected previously in the traditional process, which doesn’t work for many autistic people. Generally, the ideal hiring process requires more resources (several days-weeks of doing actual work (paid) with the candidates + preparing them for the work environment). Below is an alternative, lean, process.

6. Initial screening:

   • Set a different email for autistic candidates’ CV submissions. Be less judgmental, and if you feel someone might be promising, make a quick call to uncover relevant experience which might have not been mentioned clearly enough in the resume. 

   • If the job requires technical skills, send candidates online tests that assess these skills. Be reasonable, this is a preliminary stage.

7. Interview and assessment process: 

   • Determine the skills needed for the role and design an activity to test each skill and the ability to learn it. 

   • Have the hiring managers conduct the interviews, and try to design the activity so it will be a mutual working session. Educate the managers about autism and increase their awareness before the working sessions. 

   • It’s best to simply have the candidates come over for 1-7 days of paid ‘working sessions’ in which you assess them (big corporations do that for several weeks). Interviews can cause stress, and have people arrive for a few days to experience what’s it’s like to work at your company is a good way to reduce that stress. This helps to assess soft skills as well. 

   • Set clear expectations about each working session and be specific, don’t be vague. Also, be clear about the time each working session should take. Make sure the candidates understand the instructions. 

   • Ask candidates for their environment preferences and try to accommodate (e.g., reduce lightning, quite rooms, noise cancelation headphones). If they want to work on their own laptop and not use a whiteboard, let them. 

   • Prior to the interview, send an itinerary of the assessment process with a clear structure (including who will be present). 

   • If you have autistic employees, try to have them involved in the process (and get their help designing it). 

   • Provide unstructured time during the working sessions for candidates to deal with cognitive overload. 

   • Conduct working sessions of 45 minutes, but be flexible if the candidate asks for more time. Have a debrief before and after each session.

   • Avoid surprising your candidates, but show them you are flexible to accommodate their needs.

8.        Your decision:

   • If you decided not to continue with a candidate, give them useful, actionable feedback on-site or on a video call (please please, treat people nicely). Tell them you are okay with having another person on the call (relative, job coach, etc.). Don’t just send your regular email. Candidates need to be able to benefit from the process.  

   • Ask for feedback about your process (send a survey as well as on-site).

9. Training autistic employees:  

   • Technical skills: Focus on the specific technical skills and tools needed for the job. This can be done as part of the assessment process, regular employee onboarding or dedicated training for autistic employees. 

   • Orientation to the organization and soft skills: Give an overview of the company’s values, mission, etc. Tell employees about the support and services intended to support them. This can all be done during the hiring process or as part of the regular onboarding process.

10. Training existing neurotypical employees: 

    • Create a welcoming and inclusive environment for autistic employees by raising awareness and educating current employees about autism. This training can be done in house or by external vendors. This should happen prior to the employee’s starting date. 

    • In-person training is better, but a leaner way would be online training. 

    • Privacy is super important. Share people’s needs, not identity. 

    • Keep an internal mailing list or a Slack channel about neurodiversity and update it with new materials.

11. Onboarding:

    • Set a date that works for the employee and the team to start. 

    • Talk about the dress code if necessary, as well as other rules. 

    • Explain who do they report to (preferably the person who does the onboarding will be the hiring manager who is the most significant player in creating an inclusive workplace). 

    • Consider having a welcome-mentor for the initial period (preferably someone from the team).  If there are other autistic employees, consider having them as mentors as well. 

    • There are federal-funded job coaching programs that you might want to involve in the onboarding process (for 90 days).

12. Retention:

    • Have the manager give the employee constant feedback (bi-weekly launch, in the beginning, could be a good format). 

    • Changes can cause stress. If the direct manager or team members are changing, communicate it clearly and don’t surprise the employee. Make the proper intro to the new manager and make sure they are well educated about autism. 

    • There are several online groups in which managers can ask feedback and advice from other autistic adults (check out for example in item # 5). In addition, there is this Facebook group.

Bonuses: 

1. Based on the above plan, I have created a free Trello board (a free task management tool) for you to use in your company, you can get it here.

2. We’re launching a job board for autistic people to meet autism-friendly employers, you can submit jobs using this link, and we’ll take care of great candidates. You can submit jobs even if you just intend starting a pilot as described above.

5 Reddit threads about employment & jobs for Aspergers and autistic people

1. What jobs are most suitable for us?

   The person who posted this question mentioned stress as the biggest issue he/she experiences in their current job as a person with Aspergers. Different Aspergers shared their work experience in an enlightening diverse Reddit thread.  

2. How do people with Aspergers get and keep jobs?

   A very long thread (over 130 comments) of someone who is going through a diagnosis process, but confident he/she has Aspergers. He/she is frustrated by the traditional hiring process. Lots of empathic answers (“are you me?”) and people who feel the same. 

3. Work or life, not both

   A very long thread in which the original poster and the respondents share the difficulties and overload of having a job and how they cope when they return home. 

4. Bullying in the workplace

   This is a very touching post by an Asperger being bullied at work. This post got over 900 upvotes (which are the “likes” on Reddit) and almost 140 comments. There are also positive elements in this story such as the boss who really cares. 

5. How do I help my employee with Aspergers?

   This is a Reddit thread I really like. A manager reaches out to a community of autistic and Aspergers people to learn how he can help his employee to perform better. The original text has been deleted by the manager, but I remember he described a smart employee who just finds it hard to complete tasks until the end (“he does 1.1., 1.2, 1.3 but doesn’t get to 2). A lot of helpful advice given by other autistic people. 

Got more threads you like? Share them below in the comments.

The autism and Aspergers-friendly employer meter

New for employers - Learn how to hire and keep autistic employees

Following recent academic researchers and posts written by autistic and aspergers I created the employer autism-friendly calculator. This enables employers (as well as employees) to assess to what extent they are autistic-friendly. When employers see it’s totally doable, they will hopefully open more jobs for autistic people and aspergers. I’m aware many don’t even know if they have autistic employees (that might be because many autistics are afraid to disclose that, I’ll write about it soon, or because autistics are extremely less employed), but regardless, it’s a good way to get a decent picture of what is an autistic-friendly employer.

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