The Government has announced the Get Britain Working White Paper to reform employment, health and skills support which it promises will tackle economic inactivity and support people into good work.

Our response

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “Only 30% of autistic people are in work, the lowest of any disability. This shouldn’t be the case. Most autistic people can and want to work but face multiple barriers in finding and progressing in employment. We hope today’s reforms will close the unacceptable autism employment gap and genuinely remove these barriers.

“We welcome the independent review into how employers can better support disabled people and the commitment to engage with disabled people on the green paper. Jobcentres and employment support need an overhaul, and changes need to include autism training for all job coaches and assessors.

“While the overhaul of the disability benefits system is long overdue, there is a culture of blame and anxiety around work and benefits for many autistic and disabled people, and it is important that their voices are heard throughout this process. Autistic people face barriers to employment including poor autism understanding, discrimination and a lack of adjustments. Unless the Government acts to lift those barriers, then autistic people will not be able to engage fully with the Government’s support offer and may be at risk of being unfairly punished.”

Further information

• Read more about the new White Paper.
• Find out more about our employment work.
• Read our advice and guidance on employment.
• Read our news story on the Buckland Review of Autism Employment.