Found out 80% of autistic adults are unemployed and it hit me hard

I was looking up stats for a presentation at my local support group in Austin last month. Turns out the unemployment rate for autistic adults is around 80% according to a study from 2021. That includes people who are underemployed or working way below their skill level. I knew it was bad but seeing that number just sat with me for days. It makes me wonder how many of us are stuck in jobs that don't fit us because of the whole interview process. Has anyone here found a job that actually works with your needs and not against them?

2 comments

2 Comments

river_scott20d ago

Yeah what is it about interviews that turns us into malfunctioning robots? I once bombed an interview so bad I started listing my special interests as job qualifications. That number is brutal but at least we're all failing together in style.

alice24220d agoTop Commenter

Flip the script and realize interviews are basically acting auditions where we're all trying to play a character that doesn't exist. The whole setup forces you to filter yourself through this weird corporate filter that strips away your actual personality. Once I stopped trying to be the person they wanted and just let my awkwardness show, I actually got a callback for once.