In the digital age, neuro-diversity should be viewed as a competitive advantage, not a hindrance

The United Kingdom’s National Autistic Society reports that just 16 per cent of autistic adults in Britain have full-time paid employment, and only 32 per cent have any kind of paid work, compared to 47 per cent for disabled people and 80 per cent for non-disabled people. This highlights the scale of the challenge faced by such candidates, as well as the vast untapped resource that they represent.

Recognising the potential of neurological diversity to contribute to strengthening cybersecurity, we at BT have reframed how we interact with candidates during interviews. We encourage them to talk about their interests, rather than expecting them simply to answer typical questions about their employment goals or to list their strengths and weaknesses. This approach has already been applied with great success by the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, and SAP in the areas of coding and software development, and by the UK’s GCHQ intelligence and security organisation, one of the country’s biggest employers of autistic people.

Of course, an updated approach to interviewing candidates will not work for everyone. But it is a start. More broadly, we must do more not just to expand the opportunities available to neurologically exceptional candidates, but also to ensure that these opportunities are well publicised.