Dear Reader,
This week brings exciting validation for everything we've been discussing about neurodivergent talent. EY has just released their Global Neuroinclusion at Work Study 2025, and the findings are exactly what I hoped they'd discover when the research was suggested during my time there.
The report reveals something remarkable: whilst organisations struggle with skills shortages that threaten business transformation, the solution might already be sitting in their teams—if only they knew how to unlock it.
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What's the data saying?
Here's the eye-opening finding from EY's new research: on average, 36% of neurodivergent professionals report specialist or expert-level proficiency in the top 10 fastest-growing skills for 2030. But the specific numbers are even more striking:
- 49% have specialist/expert proficiency in leadership and social influence
- 45% in curiosity and lifelong learning
- 43% in resilience, flexibility, and agility
- 39% in technological literacy
- 36% in cybersecurity
These aren't niche technical skills, these are the exact capabilities the World Economic Forum identifies as critical for business transformation. Yet here's the crucial detail: when neurodivergent professionals feel truly included at work, their proficiency in these skills rises up to 31% higher than their neurotypical peers in some areas.
This isn't about finding neurodivergent talent to fill these skill gaps- it's about recognising that your existing neurodivergent employees may already possess the transformational capabilities your organisation desperately needs. The question isn't whether they have the skills; it's whether your environment allows them to demonstrate and develop them.
Source: Acting on neuroinclusion accelerates business success | EY - Netherlands
Stories from the workplace
This research couldn't be more timely. Right now, the UK is facing a critical talent crisis that perfectly illustrates why we need to think differently about where we find skills. Here are the stark realities:
75% of UK tech firms report difficulty finding qualified AI candidates. The UK needs an additional 11,200-13,500 cybersecurity professionals annually just to meet current demand. Major retailers like Marks & Spencer and Co-op have been left vulnerable by cyberattacks, exposing their lack of in-house security expertise. Meanwhile, 52% of UK tech leaders struggle to fill AI-related roles, with nearly half planning to hire from abroad because they can't find domestic talent.
But here's what's fascinating: whilst organisations desperately search for these skills externally, around 15% of the UK population is neurodivergent, many of whom possess exactly the pattern recognition, attention to detail, and systematic thinking capabilities that cybersecurity and AI roles demand. Yet most remain underemployed or overlooked due to traditional hiring practices.
The disconnect is striking: organisations are spending fortunes searching for skills that may already exist within their teams, but their traditional recruitment and development approaches aren't designed to recognise or nurture neurodivergent capabilities.
The EY research provides compelling evidence for this untapped potential. When neurodivergent professionals feel truly included, their proficiency in technological literacy increases by 12%, cybersecurity skills by 31%, and AI capabilities by 20%. These aren't marginal improvements; they're transformational capability increases that could help solve the UK's skills crisis if organisations knew how to recognise and develop this internal talent.
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Read more on the application process in our Neurodiversity Recruitment Playbook
Download you copy here:
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One change for immediate action
Audit your team for hidden expertise using a skills-first approach rather than role-based assumptions.
This week, try this simple exercise:
List the top 5 skills your organisation needs most for future growth (AI, cybersecurity, analytical thinking, resilience, creative problem-solving, etc.).
Ask yourself:
- Who on your team demonstrates these capabilities, regardless of their current role or level?
- Are there quieter team members whose insights you might be missing?
- What barriers might prevent some employees from showcasing their expertise?
- How could you create alternative ways for people to demonstrate these skills?
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Don't limit this assessment to formal qualifications or traditional career paths. Some of your most valuable future skills might belong to people who've never been given the platform to show them.
EY's research proves that organisations are sitting on untapped reservoirs of exactly the skills they're struggling to recruit externally. The key is creating inclusive environments where these capabilities can be recognised, developed, and deployed for business impact.
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Have you booked your speaker for National Inclusion Week?
Get in touch to see how I can support you.
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And finally, a question for you?
What skills is your organisation desperately trying to recruit externally that might already exist within your current team?
Hit reply and share your thoughts - I'm particularly curious about any "hidden expertise" discoveries you've made when you've looked beyond traditional qualifications.
See you next week!
Tania
FIVE ways you can work with me:
- Neuro-inclusive Recruitment Audit: Understand what practical steps you can take to ensure your recruitment process is inclusive for all.
- Training: From line managers to leaders, global HR teams to recruitment, awareness sessions to champion training.
- Consultancy: Policy writing, process redesign, reviewing neurodiversity materials, data, ERG launches - anything neurodiversity at work related!
- Coaching: One to one coaching to help support an individual navigate the world of work as someone who is neurodivergent
- Speaking: From a fireside chat to a keynote, podcast guest to panelist
Reply to this email to find out more!
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