Call for the Federal Public Service to create an initiative to recruit and hire employees with Autism:

Abstract

Individuals with autism, a neurological condition impacting everyday activities, make up about 1.5-2.5% of the population. Compared to people with other disabilities, those with autism are disproportionately unemployed and underemployed. The Canadian federal government’s National Autism Strategy, consisting of research and funding to improve the health and well-being of those with autism, is led by the Public Health Authority of Canada (PHAC), but Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) plays an increasingly important role in supporting those on the spectrum through its programs and responsibility for implementing the Accessible Canada Act. ESDC, along with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are two of the largest federal public sector employers. The writer, an autistic individual themself, advocates for ESDC and CRA to take the lead in creating a specialized hiring and retention process adapted to autistic individuals, as hiring and retaining autistic staff will likely produce a win-win result, helping the organizations become more diverse, higher performing and agile while reducing turnover and therefore staffing and training related costs.