AsIAm and IrishJobs.ie urge employers to sign up to ‘Same Chance Commitment’

85% of autistic people in Ireland are either unemployed or underemployed.

Today, Orla Moran, General Manager of hiring platform IrishJobs.ie joined Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm, Ireland’s national autism charity, to launch the ‘Same Chance Commitment’, which calls on employers to take the first step to creating an autism-friendly workplace. Research tells us that at least 1 in 65 people in Ireland are autistic with 85% of that number either unemployed or underemployed. The ‘Same Chance Commitment’ aims to improve this figure by encouraging businesses to undertake a number of actions to help remove barriers for autistic people entering the workplace and to create more inclusive workspaces for Autistic people who are already in employment. Commenting on today’s announcement, Orla Moran, General Manager, IrishJobs.ie said;

"We are delighted to launch the ‘Same Chance Commitment’ in partnership with AsIAm today. This is a really important initiative for us as a company, and we hope that by working together with the team at AsIAm, we can make positive impact on the number of autistic people employed across Ireland. At IrishJobs, we are already supporting employers to achieve this with our Same Chance toolkit, which offers a step-by-step guide to becoming an autism-friendly employer. With today’s announcement we hope to make the journey for employers that bit easier by creating a dedicated pathway by which they can embrace diversity in its truest sense and create more inclusive working environments for Autistic people in Ireland."

Every employer who signs up to the ‘Same Chance Commitment’ pledges to: · Develop more inclusive recruitment processes, which in turn creates more opportunities for Autistic people to access work experience, internships and longer-term job opportunities. · Embed autism-friendly practices in how an organisation operates. · Provide training for Autistic people to help them pursue jobs and develop their career within an organisation. · Fully utilise the wide range of supports available, including the Same Chance toolkit, which was designed by AsIAm and IrishJobs to help organisations become autism friendly employers by equipping themselves with the information they need to help attract, hire, and retain autistic talent. · Participate in the AsIAm and IrishJobs Community of Practice to promote and develop autism-friendly employment in Ireland. For more information visit the AsIAm website here.