People with autism as potential employees have both their undoubted advantages and easy-to-define disadvantages. At the same time, their specific competencies can bring a lot of benefits to employers, while noticeable behavioural rigidities or motivational deficits will pose challenges that can nevertheless be overcome without exerting excessive efforts.

The nature of the work that autistic people are capable of undertaking depends largely on their individual abilities and interests. However, it is possible to distinguish certain common - very positive - characteristics in them. These include, in particular, great attention to detail and meticulousness in action and following rules. These traits, which are useful in activities that require accuracy and meticulousness, concentration and patience, or memory for facts and figures, predispose people with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome to work in at least some areas. They can excel in data entry (from spreadsheets to more complex databases), word processing (including catching small, hard-to-see errors), cataloging or filing. Autistic people excel at routine and repetitive activities for long periods of time, which are a heavy burden for people who get tired of routine, such as copying, scanning, sorting, distributing information. They also enjoy activities involving numbers and statistics and compiling facts as part of analytical work. People with an Asperger's syndrome diagnosis can therefore try their hand at office work, more or less complex IT work (from database building to programming), accounting and finance activities, and even complex analytical work. A potential employer should, of course, keep in mind the individual characteristics (different nature of traits and different competencies) of autistic people, and to entrust them with activities with clear procedures for handling and a well-defined structure. It must be clear to an employee on the autism spectrum which of his activities will be defined as correct and which not. It is also worth remembering that people with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome perform less well in tasks that require quick decision-making decisions, multitasking and high interpersonal skills.

The common traits listed above, as well as possible individual competencies and preferences should give potential employers an an idea of the specifics of work and the possibility of using a person autistic person on the labor market. The image, the final shape of which is conditioned is also conditioned by factors outside the labor market, but should be enriched by a description of the financial and image benefits that employers are usually unable to achieve from employment of autistic people, employers are usually unaware of.

STRENGTHS OF PEOPLE WITH ASD

Autistic people may display a range of strengths and abilities that can be directly related to their diagnosis, including:

• Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia).

• Memorising and learning information quickly.

• Thinking and learning in a visual way.

• Logical thinking ability.

• May excel (if able) in academic areas such as science, engineering and mathematics as they are technical and logical subjects that do not heavily rely on social interaction.

• Having an extraordinarily good memory (being able to remember facts for a long period of time).

• Being precise and detail orientated.

• Exceptional honesty and reliability.

• Being dependable in regards to schedules and routines.

• Having an excellent sense of direction.

• Be very punctual.

• Strong adherence to rules.

• Able to concentrate for long periods of time when motivated.

• A drive for perfection and order.

• A capability for alternate problem solving.

• A rare freshness and sense of wonderment.

People with autism sometimes face some difficulties in the workplace, below is a list of those that without proper support from the employer can make it difficult for a person with ASD to work: 

• Hard time motivating

• Difficulty of focusing on something other than interest

• Following unwritten social rules; these rules can be learned through instructions

• Getting the big picture

• Unbalanced set of skills

• Difficulty with generalization concepts

• Having trouble expressing feelings in a way that other people would understand or expect

• Trouble with functioning, hence difficulties in planning long-term activities

• Perceiving emotions of other people

• Having trouble with summarizing information to include in speech

• Deficits in social interactions: This can include discomfort with eye contact, lack of reciprocal conversation, and difficulty with non-verbal communication such as understanding body language and social cues. They may also have a harder time making friends due to these challenges.

• Dislike of change: Those with HFA like predictability and routine and tend to develop repetitive habits. Consequently, they can become very upset when unexpected change happens, or something interferes with their preferred set pattern of behavior.

• Restricted areas of interest: They tend to be very focused—even fixated—on specific ideas or subjects. While the narrowness of their interests can be limiting, their ability to focus on a particular topic can be extraordinary.

• Sensory sensitivities: It’s not unusual for people with any form of ASD to be sensitive to sensory input. They may find certain smells, noises, tastes, light, and touch to be overwhelming or uncomfortable. When exposed to them, it can be very stressful and upsetting.