The Rise of Ghost Jobs: A Phenomenon in the Job Market
Today, we’ll talk about a phenomena known as “ghost jobs,” which has grown more common in the job market. These are advertised positions that don’t actually exist. Job searchers stumble across advertisements that appear unreal, spend time and effort creating their resumes and cover letters, and then submit their applications. They send follow-up emails or make phone calls, but they never get a response.
Many job listings are actually for ghost jobs, according to a recent Wall Street Journal story. In a poll conducted last summer of more than 1,000 hiring managers, 27% said they had job advertising up for longer than four months. Nearly half of those who admitted to advertising job openings they weren’t actively seeking to fill claimed they did so to appear as though the business was expanding.
Advertising ghost jobs is done to manipulate the labor market in favor of companies. Employers can gather resumes and data on possible candidates without actually intending to hire anyone by posting fictitious job openings. In this approach, they may monitor the labor market and change their employment practices as necessary.
Advertising a position that doesn’t exist is permissible. However, it is prohibited to use a bogus job posting to discriminate against specific categories of people or to secretly gather personal data. These behaviors are typically challenging to uncover and even more challenging to prosecute.
In the realm of software development, ghost jobs are also common. A bogus job is advertised, candidates are asked to take a coding test, and then the code is used without any software engineers being hired. This dishonest method is a means to force people to create apps and software without paying them.
Ghost jobs affect more people than only software professionals. This problem can occur in any business where job seekers must provide proof of employment before receiving an offer. Even if a company has no intention of filling the position, it may nonetheless maintain job postings.
This example demonstrates the necessity for job seekers to exercise caution and be wary of phantom employment. Although employers may welcome an infinite stream of applications, job seekers should also have an inexhaustible supply of connections to other HR representatives and hiring managers at various businesses. Loyalty is no longer taken for granted in the modern workforce.
