UK employers have a competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting neurodiverse workers.

UK employers are realizing the competitive advantage of hiring people with conditions such as ADHD and autism, as job adverts mentioning terms related to neurodiversity have seen a six-fold increase since 2019.

But policy experts and activists warn that employers must do more to improve labor market access for neurodiverse candidates, as employment rates remain low for these candidates.

Figures from recruitment website Indeed shared with the Financial Times show that 2.1% of posts in October 2024 mentioned these conditions. This compares to 0.3% in January 2019.

The findings, which exclude roles that typically work with neurodiverse people, reflect how more companies are actively seeking out these candidates and adjusting their hiring processes to attract the rapidly growing proportion of the population with these conditions.

Policy experts have warned against companies paying lip service to long-standing barriers to entry without taking real action, and urged governments to urgently improve education and health services.

The NHS estimates that one in seven people in the UK suffer from neurodivergent disease. Neurodivergence is an umbrella term for conditions such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia that affect the way the brain processes information.

Business leaders argue that there is a strong economic case for hiring more people from untapped talent pools that have historically been disadvantaged by inefficient hiring and work practices.

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Mayur Gondhea, founder of CubeLynx, a consulting firm that provides financial modeling for infrastructure and net zero projects, said half of his company's 30 analysts are neurodivergent, giving his business a competitive advantage.

This group has tremendous talent but is unable to gain a foothold and contribute to the job market, he said.

Gondhea added that adjusting the work environment, such as providing noise-cancelling headphones or offering flexible working hours, is not expensive or difficult to implement.

Being inclusive makes people more comfortable at work, more productive and more likely to stick around, he said.

Joseph Koppenhout, a financial analyst at CubeLynx who is autistic, said traditional hiring practices often inadvertently exclude neurodiverse people.

Many job interviews rely on vibe and whether you click with the person, which is very difficult given the nature of autism, he said.

He added that people with autism were often discouraged from applying if they did not meet all job requirements, not realizing that recruiters expected people to apply with optimism.

CubeLynx is one of the companies leading the way in improving workplace inclusivity, according to the inaugural Neurodiversity Employers Index, an annual assessment of workplace culture, hiring strategies and employee well-being. Management consultancy Baringa and insurance company Aviva Group were also top performers.

The report, published by charity Autistica last month, concluded that only 30% of the 118 companies that chose to participate had clear neuro-inclusion goals and strategies, meaning more action was needed.

Mayur Gondhea (pictured) says half of the 30 analysts at his company CubeLynx are neurodivergent, giving the company a competitive advantage. Charlie Bibby/FT

James Cusack, CEO of Autistica, said changes in working practices bring huge benefits to the entire organization.

This is not about giving preferential treatment to neurodiverse people. The current interview system is not very effective and is particularly detrimental to people with autism, he added.

Dan Harris, founder of industry group Neurodiversity in Business, said larger companies are starting to take notice of a neurodiverse workforce, but while some efforts have been less formal, most companies are willing to make the change.

In recent years, Wall Street has taken the lead in widening the goalposts. U.S. banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have invested heavily in global neurodiversity programs.

Stephen DeStefani, director of neurodiversity at Wells Fargo, said a small number of key leaders in the industry recognize that there is incredible untapped talent, adding that the program fills a critical skills gap.

Bryan Gill, head of neurodiversity at JPMorgan, said recruitment has become much more competitive and one of the largest untapped talent pools is the neurodiverse community.

Despite this increased awareness, employment rates have changed little. Official data shows that by March 2024, only 31% of autistic adults in England were in work, up only slightly from 26% in the 12 months to March 2021, the first year for which comparable data was collected.

Research shows that removing barriers to entry can also promote economic growth. Think tank Pro Bono Economics said doubling the employment rate of autistic people by 2030 would provide a social benefit of $900 million to $1.5 billion annually.

Sir Robert Buckland, author of the government's review of autism employment published in February, said the issue was economically very difficult.

This is something the UK can lead the world on, but truly closing the productivity and employment gap requires more than high-level words.

He said the government needed to strengthen employer support programs such as Disability Confident and that a bottom-up approach to help businesses through free training would be more effective and faster than new legislation.

Growing awareness of neurodiversity is leading to a surge in new referrals and increasing pressure on NHS services.

According to the Nuffield Trust, there are 1.2 million people with autism and 2.2 million people with ADHD in the UK.

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A record 205,000 patients are on the NHS' waiting list for an autism referral, and in some parts of England the wait for an ADHD diagnosis is over a decade.

Cusack said improving economic opportunities for neurodiverse people requires urgent action to improve special education needs and reduce long waiting lists.

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He added that if we don't find a sustainable way forward, we will see another generation suffering from mental health problems and unable to work.

Sir Stephen Timms, Secretary of State for Social Security and Disability, said the government would proceed with the publication of the Get Britain Working white paper, which includes further steps to improve employment outcomes for disabled people and reform the benefits system.

Too many people face unnecessary barriers to employment. “This government is committed to unlocking the full potential of neurodiverse people, too much of which has gone untapped for too long,” he said.

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