In Search of a Good Person-to-Job Fit: Perspectives of Autistic Clients, Their Family Members, and Employers of a...

Employment is an important factor contributing to the quality of life of autistic individuals. However, autistic people are substantially underrepresented in the workforce, and are more likely than non-autistic people to be in part-time/casual positions and/or in jobs for which they were overqualified. Current employment programs often cater to a limited range of autistic jobseekers. This project explored participants' perceptions of an autism-specific, client-led employment program, Autism EmployABLE, with respect to (1) the program's helpfulness and aspects that could be improved and (2) the clients' happiness, confidence, and feelings of independence after gaining employment. We employed a hybrid approach for content analysis of semi-structured interviews to explore the perspectives of 15 autistic clients, 6 family members, and 5 employers. Interview data revealed that almost all participants perceived Autism EmployABLE to be helpful, and that it aligned well with the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model of Occupational Performance, in that it addressed the interaction between person (e.g., interests, strengths), environment (workplace factors), and occupation (e.g., job tasks). Perceived benefits of the program included enhanced client confidence and independence, and improved outcomes compared with generic disability employment services. Suggested improvements included opportunities for clients to meet and share experiences, access to industry-specific mentoring, provision of written materials, and aptitude testing for specific roles. This study provides preliminary support for the benefits of Autism EmployABLE and highlights the importance of sourcing positions that match each client's skills and interests to achieve the outcome considered critical to employment success-good person-to-job fit.

Why was this program developed?: Despite the many strengths that autistic people can bring to the workplace, they are more likely than non-autistic people to be unemployed or to work in part-time/casual positions and/or in jobs for which they were overqualified. We developed Autism EmployABLE to help autistic people find satisfying and sustainable employment that matches their skills and interests.What does the program do?: The program aims to support autistic jobseekers to find satisfying jobs by matching their interests, strengths, and support needs (the person) with characteristics of the workplace (the environment) and job tasks (the occupation). The program is staffed by professionals with autism-specific knowledge (e.g., psychologists, occupational therapists, teachers) and staff with experience in the vocational sector and marketing skills. The staff therefore have the expertise to work effectively with both clients and businesses. Clients take a leading role by setting their own employment goals and developing "roadmaps" to help them communicate about their strengths and support needs. The program supports clients to apply for open employment opportunities that suit their skills and interests.How did the researchers evaluate the new program?: We asked the autistic clients who accessed Autism EmployABLE, their family members, and employers to participate in an interview, which explored the helpfulness of the program in finding a job and navigating the workplace, satisfaction with job placements, and client well-being after finding employment. We asked about aspects of the program that they liked and aspects that could be improved.What were the early findings?: The findings suggest that a good person-to-job fit can be achieved by matching the skills, interests, and support needs of clients with the needs of businesses. Participants observed improvements in the clients' confidence and independence. They reported achievement of better employment outcomes than they had achieved through generic disability employment services. Suggested improvements included more opportunities for clients to meet and share experiences. Clients seeking employment in professions such as engineering or information technology (IT) would like access to mentors with profession-specific knowledge. One employer suggested aptitude testing for specific roles.What were the weaknesses of this project?: We are unsure whether the perspectives of the program reported here can be generalized to other cultures and communities.What are the next steps?: This study supports autism-specific, client-led employment programs that consider the unique skills and interests of autistic clients when finding a suitable job. Many of the clients and their family members perceived that the clients achieved more satisfying and sustainable employment through this program than through generic disability employment services. The next step would therefore be to provide more autistic jobseekers with access to this type of program.How will this work help autistic adults now or in the future?: If autistic people are supported to find employment that matches their skills and interests, they are more likely to find satisfying jobs and are more likely to be happy to continue working in these positions.