Excluded from the job market: almost half forced to hide their neurodiversity

New research¹ released today by Zurich UK reveals that half of neurodivergent adults have been discriminated against by a hiring manager or recruiter because of their neurodiversity. Around one in seven UK adults are neurodivergent² leaving a large talent pool employers could be missing out on.

Three in ten (31%) say the discrimination went as far as their application not being taken any further once they had disclosed their neurodiversity. Others said they were rejected for subjective reasons such as communication style or team fit (28%). A further 27% had comments made about their abilities or were ‘ghosted’ by a recruiter after disclosing (25%).

Shockingly, a fifth of neurodivergent adults have been laughed at because of their neurodiversity (21%), and one in six had a job offer rescinded (16%).

Reflecting this, two thirds of neurodivergent adults (63%) say that employers see neurodiversity as a ‘red flag’, rather than a strength to be harnessed, so it is unsurprising that 47% feel they can’t or shouldn’t disclose their neurodiversity to recruiters or hiring managers.

Respondents say they worry the stigma will stop them getting a job (51%), followed by fear of discrimination from recruiters or hiring managers (42%). Two in five said they were worried that disclosing would give people a preconception of who they are (41%). One in six said they wouldn’t disclose as they never had in previous roles (16%).

The findings come from a survey of 1,000 neurodivergent UK adults, which represents the c.6 million UK adults (around one in seven) who are neurodivergent.

Career growth and confidence eroded by generic interview formats

The research found that 54% say recruitment processes are designed to ‘weed out’ neurodivergent people rather than assess abilities; The Buckland Review of Autism Employment found neurodivergent candidates face more barriers to employment due to the neurotypical design of job applications and interviews.¹

More than a third of neurodivergent job seekers have panicked in an interview because the question structure was overly complicated (37%), while a quarter have struggled with long and elaborate applications (26%), vague job descriptions that are hard to relate to (24%) and timed tasks (23%). Group-setting assessments (22%) and pre-prepared presentation tasks (17%) were also flagged as considerable barriers to neurodivergent candidates.

Nearly all respondents said these barriers had negatively impacted their earning capacity (92%), confidence (96%), mental health (95%) and ability to self-promote (93%).

Remove subjective language and keep job descriptions simple

Just one in six (17%) neurodivergent adults say they were offered adjustments unprompted when asked to interview for a role. A third say they were, but only after asking (32%). This leaves four in ten (42%) who were not offered adjustments, despite the Equality Act 2010 stating employers must make reasonable adjustments for job applicants.

The five adjustments that neurodivergent job seekers find most helpful are:

• Explaining instructions and expectations clearly in advance e.g., the interview format, location, duration and process (38%)
• Removing group interviews and assessments (32%)
• Only asking for essential job requirements and qualifications e.g., not specifying a degree unless it's essential to the role (32%)
• Avoid using ambiguous, literal or subjective language in job descriptions e.g., a “good” communicator (30%)
• Sharing adaptations that can be given or have been given before as examples (29%)

However, it's not all bad news; six in ten (63%) say things are better than they used to be for neurodivergent people at work and over half (55%) say it's easier to disclose neurodiversity than it used to be.

Marc Crawley, Founder and Director at Diversita, a recruitment agency designed to assist neurodivergent job seekers, said:

“In my experience, one of the biggest barriers to employment for neurodivergent candidates is the traditional way in which companies approach recruitment. With one in seven adults identifying as neurodivergent, interview formats that are designed predominately for neurotypical applicants potentially exclude a huge amount of the job market. Most candidates we work with are autistic, dyslexic or have ADHD, however approximately 40% of our candidates have multiple neuro-types – this co-occurrence is really interesting and can bring a variety of complementary strengths such as diverse perspectives, increased productivity and creativity, and all contribute to a positive workplace culture.

“It doesn’t take much to consider how to make recruitment processes neuroinclusive and unlock the potential of neurodivergent talent – in short, it comes from a lack of awareness and understanding. The job market for now is way behind the curve but every day we see progress from companies that embrace neurodivergent talent, and these companies will be the beneficiaries.”

Zurich supports neurodivergent employees and introduces private neurodiversity assessment

From January 2025, Zurich UK will enhance its employee healthcare offering which will offer all Zurich employees the opportunity to be assessed for neurodiversity. This assessment will be free and available to all employees following a GP referral. It is also available to employee’s children and partners if they’re added to their healthcare plan.

The healthcare enhancement is being introduced in recognition that neurodivergent adults who have had a formal diagnosis feel more confident at work (54%), have better mental health (64%) and understand themselves more (66%).

In addition to the neurodiversity assessment, Zurich UK has introduced other practices to support neurodivergent employees:

• Rolled out autism awareness training for hiring managers and employees in partnership with the charity Ambitious About Autism.
• Created sensory maps of the UK workplaces to help neurodivergent employees find the best location to work depending on levels of temperature, noise, smells and traffic.
• Removed subjective language and unnecessary qualifications from job descriptions.
• Offered all roles on a part-time or job-share basis.
• Adopted The Buckland Review of Autism Employment report’s recommendations on neuroinclusive hiring practices.
• Assessed our recruitment processes to ensure they’re neuroinclusive in partnership with GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity).

Commenting on the research, Steve Collinson, Chief HR Officer at Zurich said: “With over half of neurodivergent adults experiencing discrimination and two thirds saying employers see their neurodiversity as a ‘red flag’, it's clear there is still a way to go when it comes to creating neuroinclusive workplaces. Our research shows that traditional recruitment processes are creating unnecessary barriers for these candidates and could be excluding as much as 15% of the job market, which is why it's so important that employers adopt inclusive practices at hiring level – not just to already onboarded employees.

“At Zurich we aim to create a workplace that gives the widest representation of our customers - to run a business effectively you need the widest range of diversity in your teams, and this includes neurodiversity. To help us achieve this, we’ve introduced a range of practices to support our neurodivergent employees and are delighted to be introducing neurodiversity assessments to help others get the help and support they need.”

¹OnePoll survey data of 1,000 neurodivergent UK adults. Fieldwork carried out 18 Oct – 25 Oct 2024.
²Health Education England NHS, Neurodiversity Support
³The Buckland Review of Autism Employment: report and recommendations