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The term "ghost jobs" describes a corrosive practice in modern recruitment: employers advertising positions that either never existed or have already been filled. Research exposes its alarming scale—a Greenhouse study found 22% of online job ads across the US, UK, and Germany lacked hiring intent, while a UK-specific study placed the figure at 34%. This phenomenon is particularly acute in the tech sector, where specialized roles attract high application volumes.

Legislative Pushback Gains Momentum

Tech veteran Eric Thompson became an advocate after his own fruitless job hunt led him to suspect systemic deception. "I applied for hundreds of positions—senior, junior, my level—only to realize many were illusions," he stated. Thompson now spearheads a US working group pushing for The Truth in Job Advertising & Accountability Act, demanding:
* Mandatory expiration dates on listings when hiring pauses
* Auditable hiring records
* Penalties for misleading ads

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His petition has garnered over 50,000 signatures, highlighting the mental toll on applicants. Legislative efforts are advancing fastest in Ontario, Canada, where laws effective January 1st require companies to disclose if a vacancy is actively fillable and mandate responses to interviewed candidates within 45 days. Similar bills are under review in New Jersey and California.

Why Companies Post Phantom Roles

Career coach Dr. Jasmine Escalera's research uncovers multiple motivations:

"We surveyed hiring managers and found some companies post positions solely to create a talent pipeline for future needs. Others inflate vacancy numbers to project growth to investors or the market—even when no growth exists. There are also troubling indications that applicant data from these ads is being collected and potentially sold."

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This artificial inflation has severe consequences. Escalera warns: "Ghost jobs poison labor market statistics used for economic policy. Skewed data means governments can't design effective support systems for job seekers or accurately gauge industry health."

Navigating the Mirage

For tech professionals facing this landscape, Escalera advises:
1. Prioritize networking: "A role is likely real only if you’re conversing with actual humans inside the company."
2. Heed red flags: "Repeated postings for the identical role or listings lingering for months suggest the job isn’t genuinely open."

The proliferation of ghost jobs underscores a crisis of transparency in tech recruitment. As legislative measures emerge, the industry faces pressure to adopt ethical hiring practices or risk further eroding trust in an already volatile job market.

Source: BBC News - 'Should more be done to tackle ghost jobs?'