Key Points:

  • The share of UK job postings mentioning neurodiversity-related keywords rose from 1% of all postings in January 2018 to 3.8% in December 2024.
  • Excluding care-related occupations, the share of job postings mentioning neurodiversity rose from 0.2% in January 2018 to 2.6% in December 2024 (a more than tenfold increase).
  • Engineering roles, including those in civil engineering, electrical engineering and industrial engineering, are among those non-care-related roles that have the highest share of postings that mention neurodiversity keywords.

The share of UK job postings mentioning neurodiversity-related keywords has nearly quadrupled over the past half dozen years, rising from roughly 1% of all postings as of January 2018 to 3.8% by December 2024. A host of care roles likely related to treating or caring for neurodiverse individuals represent the bulk of postings mentioning neurodiversity, but growth is also evident among several decidedly non-care-related roles — especially in engineering.

The surge points to the possibility that UK employers are looking to tap into a labour pool of some 10 million potentially underutilised Britons in the face of looming talent shortages. But the increase also raises important questions: Does this trend reflect genuine progress in workplace inclusion, or merely changes in corporate communication? And how much of the rise is attributable to more roles welcoming neurodiverse applicants vs more roles focused on caring for neurodiverse patients? 

A line chart titled “UK: The share of job postings mentioning neurodiversity has increased” shows a time series of the share of postings containing neurodiversity keywords. There is an overall upward trend, starting at 1% in January 2018 and finishing at 3.8% in December 2024.
A line chart titled “UK: The share of job postings mentioning neurodiversity has increased” shows a time series of the share of postings containing neurodiversity keywords. There is an overall upward trend, starting at 1% in January 2018 and finishing at 3.8% in December 2024.

Job ads that mention neurodiversity-related keywords could reflect two distinct types of job postings: 

  1. Those actively seeking neurodivergent employees. Examples of neurodiversity-related language in these postings include phrases and statements such as:
    1. “We welcome neurodivergent candidates.”
    2. “We also want to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example, dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder, etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.”
  2. Those advertising positions working with neurodivergent people. Examples of neurodiversity-related language in these postings include phrases and statements such as:
    1. “Experience working with autistic children required.” 
    2. Those requiring training and/or certificates related to neurodiversity. 

To help clarify which postings fall into which of those categories, Hiring Lab ran this analysis while purposely excluding occupations in care fields. Occupations excluded from this part of the analysis include those in the therapy, personal care & home health, education & instruction, childcare, community & social service, social science, nursing, physicians & surgeons, medical information and medical technician sectors. 

Excluding these occupations, the share of job postings mentioning neurodiversity rose from 0.2% in January 2018 to 2.6% in December 2024 (a more than 1,000% increase). In other words, in 2018, there were practically zero mentions of neurodiversity in fields outside of these primary care or medical fields. But over the last six-plus years, this share has risen dramatically.

Meanwhile, the share of postings in primary neurodiversity care occupations increased from 4.9% to 8.3% over the same period (a 70% increase). This share was already significant in 2018, reflecting the occupations that commonly work with neurodiverse people. It has also increased since then but at a much lower pace than the previously mentioned occupations. 

A line chart titled “UK: Neurodiversity-related job postings over time” shows two time series showing the share of postings containing neurodiversity-related keywords, by type of occupation: one for primary care occupations, which goes from 4.9% in January 2018 to 8.3% in December 2024, and the other for other occupations, which goes from 0.2% to 2.6% in the same period.
A line chart titled “UK: Neurodiversity-related job postings over time” shows two time series showing the share of postings containing neurodiversity-related keywords, by type of occupation: one for primary care occupations, which goes from 4.9% in January 2018 to 8.3% in December 2024, and the other for other occupations, which goes from 0.2% to 2.6% in the same period.

Neurodiversity and disability inclusion efforts often intersect in workplace contexts. The data also shows that mentions of disability-related keywords in job postings follow similar upward trends to neurodiversity mentions, though at higher overall rates. 

How does this compare with population and employment figures?

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) estimates that around one in seven Britons are neurodivergent, equating to almost 10 million people. “Neurodivergence” is an umbrella term used to describe alternative thinking styles, including dyslexia, developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia), dyscalculia, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, estimating the exact size of the UK’s neurodivergent population can be challenging in part because of varying definitions, overlapping conditions, and historical underdiagnosis (underdiagnosis is more likely in women). 

In terms of employment, official data reveals significant disparities in workforce participation between people with neurodivergence and those without. According to the Office for National Statistics, UK employment rates for Autistic workers and those with severe or specific learning difficulties are lower than for other forms of disabilities: 

A bar chart titled “UK: Employment rates for neurodivergent workers are low” shows employment rates by disability type for 2022/2023. The overall disability employment rate is 55%, while specific disabilities show disparities in employment rates: The highest employment rate is for those with “severe disfigurements, skin conditions, allergies,” as well as those with disabilities. The lowest employment rate is for those with Autism, Epilepsy and Severe or specific learning difficulties.
A bar chart titled “UK: Employment rates for neurodivergent workers are low” shows employment rates by disability type for 2022/2023. The overall disability employment rate is 55%, while specific disabilities show disparities in employment rates: The highest employment rate is for those with “severe disfigurements, skin conditions, allergies,” as well as those with disabilities. The lowest employment rate is for those with Autism, Epilepsy and Severe or specific learning difficulties.

These employment rates have increased over the past decade. The employment rate of those with severe or specific learning difficulties increased from 17% in 2013-2014 to 30% ten years later, while the employment rate across all types of disabilities changed from 44% to 55% (though roughly constant in the last years). The autism employment rates increased from around 22% in 2019-2020 (the first observation for Autism in employment estimates) to 30% by 2023-2024. In the last five years, neurodivergent employment rates have increased more than those for overall disabilities. 

Line chart titled “UK: Employment rates for neurodivergent workers have increased, but remain low” showing employment rates by disability type: Autism and Severe or specific learning difficulties have low employment rates, but are increasing over time. The overall disability employment rate is higher.
Line chart titled “UK: Employment rates for neurodivergent workers have increased, but remain low” showing employment rates by disability type: Autism and Severe or specific learning difficulties have low employment rates, but are increasing over time. The overall disability employment rate is higher.

Although the gap between the rate of disabled and non-disabled people in employment (the disability employment gap) has narrowed, it remains large (the overall UK employment rate is roughly 75%). 

Engineering roles especially welcoming to neurodiverse candidates?

Occupations including therapy (15.5%), social science (11.1%), and personal care & home health (10.4%) all have a relatively large share of postings that mention neurodiverse keywords. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these are all also primary neurodiversity care occupations. But outside of these primary care occupations, an assortment of engineering occupations also have relatively high shares of postings that mention neurodiverse keywords, including civil engineering (9.4%), electrical engineering (6.3%) and industrial engineering (6.2%). 

These findings at least suggest, but do not prove, that employers in these occupations are nodding towards neurodiverse candidates. While neurodivergent individuals bring diverse strengths and capabilities to all fields, the higher rate of neurodiversity mentions in engineering job postings may reflect a growing recognition of the value of different thinking styles in technical roles. However, this pattern could also be influenced by other factors, such as larger companies being more likely to both hire engineers and have formal diversity initiatives.

Bar chart titled “Across occupations: Neurodiversity mentions in UK job postings” shows the share of job postings mentioning neurodiversity by occupation, for the average in 2024. There are disparities between occupations, with high shares for therapy and social science and low shares for dental and hospitality and tourism. 
Bar chart titled “Across occupations: Neurodiversity mentions in UK job postings” shows the share of job postings mentioning neurodiversity by occupation, for the average in 2024. There are disparities between occupations, with high shares for therapy and social science and low shares for dental and hospitality and tourism. 

Real inclusion or corporate communication? 

So, do these trends reflect genuine progress in workplace inclusion and a real sign that employers are looking to expand their talent pools? Or are they merely reflecting changes in corporate communication? 

Several factors suggest a mix of both. On one hand, the rise coincides with concrete actions from employers. Many large UK companies have launched dedicated neurodiversity hiring programs, established workplace accommodations policies, and created employee resource groups. And employment rates for neurodivergent workers have been on the rise.

However, the rapid rise in mentions could also partially reflect increased awareness of inclusive language without corresponding organisational change. Some job postings may include neurodiversity-friendly language primarily for employer branding or compliance purposes — without the necessary on-the-job infrastructure, training, and workplace adaptations needed for meaningful inclusion. Larger organisations might be more subject to these motives than smaller firms. 

And while employment rates have increased, they are still low, which suggests that barriers to employment remain significant despite more inclusive language. This highlights the need to look beyond job posting language to measure genuine progress — including retention rates, workplace accommodations, career advancement opportunities, and lived experiences of neurodivergent employees. Evidence points to the potential for an increase. According to Autistica’s Neurodiversity Employers Index, only 30% of UK organisations have a clear neuroinclusion goal and strategy in place. Furthermore, almost a third of neurodivergent employees surveyed said they have experienced discrimination in the workplace related to their neurodivergence.

Conclusion

Research from Pro Bono Economics and Autistica estimates that doubling the employment rate of autistic individuals in the UK could result in an estimated total economic benefit of around £900 million to £1.5 billion per year. Given both the vast challenges and potential around including more of the neurodiverse population in the workforce, it is crucial to continue monitoring how employers approach neurodiversity in their hiring practices.

Going forward, the continued evolution and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools could particularly benefit neurodivergent workers and aid with communication, personalised task support and accessible hiring practices, among others. Future research should examine how these technologies impact employment outcomes for neurodivergent individuals.

Methodology

Keywords sought in job postings for purposes of this analysis were: ‘neurodiversity’, ‘neurodiverse’, ‘neurodivergent’, ‘neuro-diversity’, ‘neuro-diverse’, ‘neuro-divergent’, ‘neurodistinct’, ‘neuroatypical’, ‘neurotype’, ‘neurodivergence’, ‘neuro-inclusive’, ‘cognitive diversity’, ‘neurological diversity’, ‘neurocognitive diversity’, ‘neurominority’, ‘neural divergence’, ‘autism’, ‘autistic’, ‘autism spectrum’, ‘spectrum condition’, ‘asperger’, ‘aspergers’, ‘dyslexia’, ‘dyslexic’, ‘ADHD’, ‘attention deficit disorder’, ‘attention deficit hyperactivity disorder’, ‘hyperactivity disorder’, ‘dyspraxia’, ‘dyspraxic’, ‘dyscalculia’, ‘dyscalculic’, ‘dysgraphia’, ‘dysgraphic’

Data on the overall trends was featured in a recent Financial Times article (“UK employers eye ‘competitive advantage’ in hiring neurodivergent workers” by Amy Borrett, 12/19/24). This blog post extends the analysis by incorporating the occupation cross section and further details. 

Acknowledgements

This blog post has benefitted from feedback from Rebecca Williams.