Autism and the UK Economy

According to research conducted by the London School of Economics (June 2014), autism has a greater economic impact in the UK than heart disease (£8bn), cancer (£12bn) and stroke (£5bn) combined - totalling at least £32 billion per year in support, care, and lost earnings for children and adults on the autism spectrum. More information can be found here.

Most people want to lead meaningful lives and be contributing members of society - and people with autism are no exception. Of the estimated 350,000 autistic people of working age in the UK, only 15% are in full-time employment. Crucially, 61% of those not currently employed are eager to work, and 79% of those on Incapacity Benefit want to work [Source: National Autistic Society]. For many autistic people, finding paid employment remains a significant challenge, with real consequences for their mental, physical and financial wellbeing.

At Harry Specters, our vision is to change that. We’re committed to creating meaningful employment opportunities for young autistic people and partnering with organisations across the autism community to make this a reality.

Through working with many young people on the spectrum, we’ve learned a great deal about what they bring to the workplace. Many love making and packaging chocolates precisely because the tasks are structured and consistent. Time and again, we’ve seen that autistic employees are loyal, diligent, and take genuine pride in their work. Their attention to detail is remarkable - and because autism is a spectrum, we’ve also discovered a wonderful range of strengths, from exceptional creativity to a talent for process-driven, structured work.

What we know for certain is this: when you create a working environment that suits the needs of autistic people, they thrive. And when they thrive, everyone benefits.