Event recording and transcript: Improving accessibility for neurodivergent job seekers

Great. Thank you so much. 

So I just wanna start with a brief introduction.  

As we all know, in our contemporary workforce, diversity, equity, and inclusion are growing considerations, and while significant progress has been made in recognizing and celebrating diversity, neurodivergence remains relatively overlooked by many corporate initiatives in research and in policy agendas compared to other diversity- and inclusion-related topics and identities. 

 

[02:15]  

The Labour Market Information Council, or LMIC, is committed to fostering inclusive approaches to LMI, or labour market information, and addressing the needs of all Canadians. As part of this commitment, LMIC embarked on a research initiative to explore the impact of neurodivergence on job recruitment processes, starting with the analysis of job postings.  

Specifically, the study sought to understand how neurodivergent individuals interpret job postings and how these interpretations influence their decision-making regarding job applications. 

For the purposes of this research, we adopted a definition of neurodiversity wherein ‘Neurodivergent’ serves as a non-medical umbrella term encompassing individuals with autism, ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia or developmental conditions or disorders, Tourette syndrome, and other neurological or developmental “conditions” or learning disabilities. 

 

[03:20] 

So, what do we know about neurodivergent folk and their labour market outcomes and experiences? 

So, we know that neurodivergent adults have lower employment rates than the Canadian average. 

According to the 2017 Canadian census— sorry Canadian survey on disability, only one in 3 Canadian adults, age 20 to 64, who identified as having ASD reported being employed. 

It is also noteworthy that even when employed, neurodivergent adults often find themselves underemployed compared to their non-neurodivergent peers. Recent research by Deloitte Canada and auticon Canada showed that nearly half of autistic adults who participated in their survey were working part-time, or on a contract basis, or in temporary positions. 

In contrast, in 2021, 81.6% of all employed Canadians held full-times positions, with only 18.4% working part-time. 

We also know that neurodivergent adults hold their jobs for a shorter amount of time. 

In 2021, full and part-time workers across the country had an average job tenure of 8.6 years. However, among those who identified as autistic, only 2% of employed survey respondents had been in their current position for more than 5 years. 47% reported one or 2 years spent in their current role, and a further 29% reported a job tenure of 3 to 5 years. 

So, I wanna clarify that our usage of autism specific statistics isn't meant to serve as a proxy for all neurodivergent individuals, rather it’s due to the scarcity of comprehensive data in this area. Unfortunately, statistics on employment rates among neurodivergent individuals are limited, and the data we do have often focuses primarily and exclusively on— sorry, on those on the autism spectrum. 

 

[05:22]  

So, why do neurodivergent Canadians have different employment outcomes?  

According to recent research by the Conference Board of Canada and the Future Skills Center, the unemployment and underemployment of neurodivergent Canadians might be partly due to an undervaluing of their strengths.  

Biases against the way neurodivergent individuals may present themselves, and/or communicate during the interview process or within the work environment, may also play a role. However, inaccessible hiring processes may also contribute to the problem. 

To begin our investigation on the effects of inaccessible hiring processes we started at the very beginning— the beginning of the hiring process, which is very often the job posting, as reading a job posting often launches the recruitment process. 

The study aimed to understand how neurodivergent individuals interpret job postings and how these interpretations influence their decision-making regarding job applications.  

Recognizing the importance of inclusive employment practices, we sought to investigate whether certain aspects of job postings may deter, or potentially entice, neurodivergent individuals from applying for positions, thus contributing to the observed disparities in employment rates. 

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 individuals who self-identified as neurodivergent. 

We aimed to gather participants from a diverse range of identities and “conditions” under the umbrella of neurodiversity. 

Additionally, qualitative content analysis was performed on job posting data obtained from Vicinity Jobs, a Canadian data analytics firm specializing in near real-time monitoring of job market trends.  

Our analysis also involved examining job postings to identify the most sought-after social-emotional skills. Additionally, a representative sample of Canadian job postings from diverse regions was qualitatively analyze—sorry, analyzed, to delve into language requirements inclus— and inclusivity-related information embedded within them. 

 

[07:32]  

So why job postings. 

Job postings are a crucial and an element of LMI. They offer valuable insights into job opportunities, requirements, and trends. Beyond that though, job postings play a pivotal role as the primary source of information for organizational and opportunity assessments. Previous research has demonstrated that job postings are very often the first encounter individuals have with an organization. 

Additionally, the literature has shown that job advertisements are often worded in ways that might pose discrimination risks leading to the inclusion— sorry, exclusion of certain groups of applicants. 

Job postings and the language they contain can therefore substantially affect the makeup of the applicant pool, which can lead to the exclusion of certain applicant groups who “select” themselves out of applying for roles. 

 

[08:30]  

So what did we find? 

We found that many individuals who participated in this study expressed that specific aspects of job postings contributed to their reluctance to apply for certain jobs. 

Our qualitative research aligned with prior studies on barriers to neurodivergent individuals entering the labour market, and revealed four primary categories of job posting barriers impacting their employment search to varying extents. 

These four barriers are the language used to describe social and emotional skills, complex application processes, ambiguity or over-specificity, and job and workplace descriptions. 

 

[09:17]  

So the first barrier category identified was the language used to describe social-emotional skills or “soft” skills.  

Social and emotional skills are those abilities that enable employees to fit in at a workplace. They include skills related to personality, traits, flexibility, motivation goals and preferences. 

Employers frequently identify communication, interpersonal self-management, collaboration, and problem-solving skills as the most sought-after skills in the workplace, and our research revealed that over 90% of job postings in 2022 required at least one social-emotional skill. 

According to many participants in this study— and you can see some quotes highlighted, social and emotional requirements, as presented in postings, can be overwhelming and discouraging for some neurodivergent individuals. 

Some neurodivergent individuals may interpret and use language in a non-nuanced or literal way, consequently not applying for a role with a long list of requirements. 

Many of the individuals who participated in the study were careful to note that they do expect to see some social and emotional requirements presented in job postings, and others even noted that it is very reasonable for employers and recruiters to expect to be able to hire people with good communication and teamwork skills. 

Despite this, the wording of some social and emotional skills, or the listing of numerous skills in a single posting was concerning for many participants. 

 

[10:54]  

The complexity of the application process was also identified as a barrier for some neurodivergent folk. 

In fact, most participants reported having difficulty understanding the details of the job application processes, as described in job postings, and/or facing a barrier to completing one or more of this— of the steps within the process. 

42% of the job postings we analyzed included complex app– application processes that could potentially create barriers. 

Some participants spoke of the complex digital applications and described an online— sorry, as described in online job postings. For example, job postings that describe a process of inputting information, creating an online profile, uploading documents and following specific formatting requirements were described by some as overwhelming. 

 

[11:53]  

Ambiguous, confusing, or overly specific language found in postings was also regarded as a barrier by some of the participants in this study. 

While ambiguous job postings and overly specific job postings are at the opposite ends of the content spectrum, both can pose hurdles for neurodivergent individuals, influencing their understanding of, and engagement with, the application process. 

Numerous studies have shown that using technical language or jargon can deter many readers. Jargon is often specific to certain industries and is best understood by people already familiar with them. This can cause confusion and make— make people feel excluded or less intelligent.  

In job postings, jargon might discourage many candidates from applying. 

As reported by several study participants, ambiguous language and jargon can hinder candidates, including those with different communication styles and cognitive processing, from fully grasping the roles, expectations, and deciding if they're a good fit for the position. 

In addition to confusing jargon, overly specific job descriptions can also deter neurodivergent individuals from applying. 

Unlike many neurotypical candidates who may apply if they broadly meet criteria, neurodivergent individuals sometimes interpret job postings literally, and may not apply if they don't meet every criterion, even if it is listed as desired rather than required. 

Despite this potential risk, our analysis revealed that more than half of all Canadian job postings contain confusing jargon, are overly specific, or ambiguous. 

 

[13:40]  

In addition to concerns about social-emotional skills, complex application processes, and ambiguous or overly specific job requirements, study participants also highlighted that the way a job posting describes a workplace can significantly influence their interest in a role.  

According to some, job descriptions often include hints about the workplace and corporate culture. 

According to some participants, job descriptions containing words like fun, exciting and positive indicate a company's emphasis on morale which may be challenging for neurodivergent individuals who struggle with social interactions. Conversely, neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with ADHD, may seek out job postings that highlight a company's commitment to team morale. 

Participants observed that job postings containing extensive information about an organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion were seen as genuinely invested in these issues. 

Moreover, many participants stress the importance of how job postings describe work, location, and flexibility. Mentions of remote work options, hybrid models, or other arrangements significantly influence the decision and preference of neurodivergent job seekers. 

Despite that, though, our analysis revealed that only 9% of analyzed job postings mentioned flexibility, while just 17% mentioned accommodations, and 28% mentioned diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

In conclusion, the wording of job postings influences who applies for a position. In today's labour market, postings are often biased, leading to both intentional and— and unintentional discrimination. Therefore, improving the quality and accessibility of job postings is one way to reduce employment barriers for neurodivergent people. 

If employers commit to making job postings more accessible— to neurodivergent candidates, we could conceivably move towards a future where neuro-divergence is embraced as an integral and valued aspect of the Canadian employment landscape. This would improve employment outcomes for Canada's neurodivergent community. 

In co— sorry, in collaboration with auticon Canada, we developed four recommendations for employers to improve job postings and make them more inclusive— inclusive of neurodivergent job seekers.  

If interested, please check them out, you can find them at the bottom of our report. 

Thank you.