Neurodivergent employment rates poor, Heston Blumenthal finds

More than one in five people with neurodivergent conditions are not in employment, research commissioned by Heston Blumenthal OBE has revealed.

The study carried out on behalf of the chef and restaurateur, who has ADHD and is bipolar, found that more than one in ten (11%) people in the UK have been diagnosed as neurodivergent.

But while more than half (56%) of those who are neurodiverse have full-time jobs and 23% work part-time, 21% of them have no paid employment whatsoever.

The survey of more than 1,000 people asked neurodivergent people who worked part-time if they did so because of their diagnosis making it difficult to find full-time roles. Around a quarter (24%) said yes, but 67% said that wasn’t the case and 9% preferred not to say.

Among men, the figure rose to 40% who said they were working part-time because their condition hindered them from gaining full-time employment. But the figure dropped to 19% among neurodivergent women.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents surveyed received a neurodivergent diagnosis between five and 15 years old, while a fifth (17%) were diagnosed between 15 and 20 years old and three in 10 (31%) were diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. Smaller percentages were aged 40 to 50 years old or over 50 when they got diagnosed, at 8% and 7% respectively.

The survey also showed that more than one in ten (13%) believe they are neurodivergent but have not yet been diagnosed. Of these respondents, almost three-quarters (74%) are employees, 9% are self-employed and 18% are not working.

Blumenthal said: “It is extremely disappointing that so many people in the UK who are neurodivergent are struggling to find paid employment. These are individuals who are likely to have specialist skills that will enhance a workforce and improve productivity. UK business is really missing out by not doing more to make it easier for people with neurodiverse conditions to contribute.”

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