(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
Australia's unemployment rate stands at around 6 per cent, yet close to 60 per cent of adults with autism spectrum disorder are jobless.
There are calls for employers to shift their focus, with reports they are overlooking a valuable pool of talent.
Phillippa Carisbrooke reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
Steve McVicar has Asperger's syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum.
He has difficulty writing.
Yet, he has paid off his mortgage by maintaining amenities and providing first aid on multi-million dollar construction sites in Melbourne.
"It means so much to me, more than just making a living. It gives me motivation and confidence to prove that people with disabilities and people on the spectrum are capable of work."
Mr McVicar's supervisor at the construction firm Watpac, site manager Daniel Palmarini, describes the 46-year-old as an invaluable team player.
"Steve, if it's not perfect, he won't let it go. He's a perfectionist at what he does. And he takes pride in what he does. Cleaning up after 250 guys isn't something that fits everyone's bill, and Steve does it particularly well."
Mr McVicar hopes his teenage son, who also has autism spectrum disorder, gets a chance at employment, too.
"I get up at quarter till four in the morning and get home at 8 o'clock. But I love what I do."
While Australia's overall unemployment rate is around 6 per cent, 58 per cent of adults on the autism spectrum are jobless.
Without jobs, they lack financial security
It is one of the reasons people on the autism spectrum are over-represented in the homeless population.
An organisation working to improve the quality of life for those affected by autism, Amaze, argues many could have productive work lives if employers recognised their abilities.
Chief executive Fiona Sharkie says employers are missing out.
"Employers have a lot to gain from hiring people on the autism spectrum, around having work done very well, having a very loyal workforce, having people who will always turn up on time and take very little sick leave, and do their job absolutely to the best of their ability, because they are driven to really achieve in areas that require a lot of detail."
An Australian first trial at the Federal Government's Department of Human Services in Adelaide is harnessing the abilities of people on the spectrum.
The Dandelion program is providing 11 trainees with skilled employment opportunities, testing IT products and services.
The manager of IT services at DHS in Adelaide, Janice Silby, says the trainees are bringing real skills to the organisation.
"Their attention to detail is a real asset to our organisation, exactly the sort of people we're looking for to test our products. They've also helped our work environment. The people working alongside of them have improved their communication skills as well."
After a series of failed interviews and bad experiences with employment agencies, trainee Luke Beauchamp says he finally feels valued.
"For a number of years, I was in a supported wage job, but I really grew to hate it. It was humiliating. They only paid me three dollars an hour, and I think I'm worth more than that."
One in a hundred Australians are on the autism spectrum.
And the rate of detection is growing.
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