Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of adults with autism are in full-time employment; and what steps his Department is taking to help adults on the autism spectrum into work.

Justin Tomlinson

Government does not collect data specifically on employment rates for people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC).

Estimates are available from the National Autistic Society (NAS), who suggest that 15% of working age people with autism are in full time employment.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is taking a number of steps to help adults on the autism spectrum into work, including:

• the development of an Autism/ Hidden Impairment Network across Jobcentre Plus;
• the expansion of the Access to Work Mental Health specialist advisory team to cover people with autism and associated hidden impairment conditions;
• work to implement autism specific opportunities on LMS, Jobcentre Plus’s IT system;
• the introduction of a Job-Shadowing Work Placement Initiative for young disabled people (65% of participants in the first tranche had autistic spectrum conditions)
• The formation of an Autism Taskforce involving disability organisations and disabled people.

DWP has worked in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING) to produce an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit, which helps employers to recruit and retain people with hidden impairment conditions.

DWP is fully committed to the Government’s Autism Strategy. The latest progress report on the Autism Strategy can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-strategy-for-adults-with-autism

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