The evidence
The figures behind why we exist.
34%
of disabled people with autism were in work in 2024/25, against 55% of disabled people overall
Department for Work and Pensions, October 2026
53.0%
of disabled people aged 16 to 64 were in work, April to June 2026, against 82.4% of non-disabled people
Office for National Statistics, labour market status of disabled people (A08), August 2026, GSS Standard Rates (people), not seasonally adjusted
109 working days
was the average time to decide an Access to Work application in November 2025, against a target of 25 working days
National Audit Office, February 2026
The Buckland Review of Autism Employment
An independent review for the government, published in February 2024 with 19 recommendations. It found that around 3 in 10 working-age autistic people are in work, against around 5 in 10 for all disabled people and 8 in 10 for non-disabled people. Among its recommendations: promote supported internships, make sure autistic people know about Access to Work, make the Disability Confident scheme more rigorous, and produce guides for designing workplaces that work for autistic people.
Read the Buckland Review on gov.uk
The Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity
Set up by the government in January 2025 and chaired by Professor Amanda Kirby, the panel reported on 2 October 2026 with 21 recommendations. Among them:
- support based on need, not on a diagnosis
- a two-week deadline for employers to respond to a request for an adjustment
- disability employment and pay gap reporting
- a Disability Confident scheme based on employers' disability employment outcomes
- more resources for Access to Work, no cap on support, and awards that move with you between jobs
- workplaces designed for everyone from the start
The government's response agreed that Disability Confident "has lacked the clarity, consistency and accountability needed", and said Access to Work staffing will rise by over 70 percent. It did not commit to the two-week deadline.
Read the panel's report and the government's response on gov.uk
Access to Work
Access to Work can pay for a job coach, equipment or support at work, but decisions have been slow. The National Audit Office found the average time to process an application more than doubled, from 28 working days in 2021-22 to 66 working days in 2024-25, and stood at 109 working days in November 2025, against a target of 25.
Read the National Audit Office report
What this means for employers
None of these figures is about ability. They describe a process that loses people: adverts, applications, interviews and first months that test something other than the job. That is the part an employer can change today, without waiting for policy to catch up.
Where the figures come from
- Employment rates of disabled people with autism: Department for Work and Pensions, 2 October 2026
- Employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people: Office for National Statistics, labour market status of disabled people (A08), August 2026
- Access to Work processing times: National Audit Office, The Access to Work scheme, 6 February 2026
- Recruiters and employers who say they have missed strong candidates because AI reduces human intuition: CV-Library, The 2026 AI in Recruitment survey, 15 April 2026
- Neurodivergent adults who feel they cannot or should not tell recruiters or hiring managers: Zurich UK, 14 November 2024
- Employers that train their interviewers on neurodiversity: CIPD, Neuroinclusion at work report, February 2024
Figures checked on 14 October 2026.
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