While the unemployment rate in the U.S. has recovered over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, that hasn’t been the reality for everyone as people with autism continue to experience unemployment and underemployment.
Of the 5.6 million adults with autism in the U.S., approximately 50-75% don’t have jobs and nearly 50% of 25-year-olds with autism have never had a job. These individuals have the skill sets to do many of the jobs out there, but often have challenges such as trouble making eye contact, reading body language and certain sensitivities that make it difficult to enter the workforce or maintain a steady job.
But several companies and organizations are trying to change that.