Unmasking the System: Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Employment for Autistic Adults

Systemic barriers continue to marginalize autistic adults in terms of employment. Conventional approaches frequently focus on individual remediation, through social skills training or masking, while neglecting the exclusionary dynamics embedded in workplace structures. This Perspective article synthesizes research from 54 peer-reviewed studies (2020–2025) to argue for a paradigm shift: from correcting autistic behaviour to reforming organizational systems. Persistent challenges in disclosure, burnout, hiring discrimination, ineffective training, and intersectional marginalization are examined as structurally embedded. A strengths-based, co-productive framework is proposed, repositioning autistic adults not as liabilities to be accommodated, but as collaborators in redesigning employment systems. Structural accountability, leadership inclusion, and empirically grounded policy reform are critical levers for sustainable change.