January 13, 2025 (Quartz) –
Photo: Maria Korneeva (Getty Images)
Finding a new job can be challenging — and it’s made worse by the fact that the position you’re applying for might not even be real.
According to a new analysis from the hiring platform Greenhouse, about one in five jobs posted last quarter was a “ghost job.” Greenhouse found that on average, between 18 and 22% of jobs posted online would classify as “ghost jobs,” meaning one that was published online, but no hiring activity was ever conducted for it.
In some industries, as many of one in three listings are ghost jobs, Greenhouse found.
Its data showed the construction industry had the largest average ghost job rate out of all industries, with 38% of jobs being classified as ghost jobs. Art industry jobs came in second place at 34%, and legal jobs came in third with 29%. Greenhouse found in the second quarter of 2024, almost 31% of corporate services job postings never led to anyone being hired.
Companies post ghost jobs for a variety of reasons, like trying to project growth even if they aren’t growing, or because they are open to great candidates even if they don’t have a role open.
A survey from Resume Builder in 2024 revealed that 39% of hiring managers said their company posted a fake job listing in the past year. Among those who did, “approximately 26% posted one to three fake job listings, 19% posted five, 19% posted 10, 11% posted 50, 10% posted 25, and 13% posted 75 or more.”
Some hiring managers even admitted they post fake jobs to keep their own employees on their toes, saying they want workers to feel “replaceable” so they will work harder.
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