December 18, 2025
Now Hiring: Ghosts & Gaslighting
'Ghost jobs' are on the rise – and so are calls to ban them
Job boards feel haunted; readers rage at fake ads and demand a ban
TLDR: Ghost jobs are widespread, with new rules in Ontario and a proposed US law aiming to force honest listings and replies to interviewees. The community is split between outrage over resume “data grabs,” doubt about stock-price conspiracies, and a weary chorus saying hiring has long been a haunted mess.
Ghost jobs are spooking job seekers, and the comments are a full-on exorcism. Studies say up to 22% of online listings were never meant to hire (even 34% in the UK), and US data shows 7.2 million “openings” but only 5.1 million hires. Enter Eric Thompson, a laid-off tech worker pushing the US Truth in Job Advertising & Accountability Act, while Ontario now forces companies to say if a role is actively being filled and to reply to interviewed candidates within 45 days.
The community? On fire. One camp believes companies use fake listings to train AI, spy on competitors, and snag free consulting, turning job boards into “resume farms.” Another camp calls the stock-price angle a stretch, asking for proof that job posts drive investor hype. Outrage hits a peak with claims firms collect resumes to sell data, which commenters insist “should be illegal.”
Old-timers say the haunting isn’t new—“it’s always been this bad”—while a recruiter counters that roles are messy and gray, not a cartoon villain plot. Jokes landed hard: “Haunted by HR,” “resume graveyard,” and “now hiring… ghosts.” A UK marketer shared the soul-crushing silence after being invited to interview, then ghosted—cue calls for laws with teeth. The vibe: ban the boo-siness, or at least make it honest.
Key Points
- •Greenhouse reports up to 22% of online job ads in the US, UK and Germany were posted with no intent to hire; a separate UK study estimated 34%.
- •US BLS data for August shows 7.2 million job openings but only 5.1 million hires, underscoring a gap between postings and placements.
- •US advocate Eric Thompson drafted the Truth in Job Advertising & Accountability Act proposing expiry dates for paused/filled listings, auditable records, and penalties.
- •Ontario (Canada) now requires disclosure of whether a job is actively being filled and mandates replies to interviewed candidates within 45 days for employers with 25+ staff.
- •New Jersey and California legislatures are considering bans on ghost jobs; the UK has no current moves, and there’s no legal requirement to reply to candidates in the US, UK, or most of Canada.