Why is it so hard to find a job now? Enter Ghost Jobs

What “ghost jobs” are and how common they are

• Many posters report seeing large numbers of openings that never lead to interviews or hires, sometimes reposted for months unchanged; some guess rates as high as 20–50% in tech.
• Others stress this phenomenon is not new (dot‑com bust era, long‑standing public‑sector “pre‑filled” roles).
• Several are skeptical of the paper’s 21% estimate, arguing the methodology (Glassdoor + GPT‑4o + BERT) is weak and lacks validation or historical baseline.

Motivations for ghost or low‑intent postings

• Immigration / visas (H‑1B, H‑2B, green cards, OPT):
  • Job ads run purely to satisfy legal “labor market test” requirements, with no intent to displace the existing visa worker.
  • For green cards (PERM), managers describe being required to post the current employee’s role, interview citizens, then often neither hire them nor proceed with the green card if a comparable citizen is found.
  • This practice is widely criticized as unethical or fraudulent; some argue it shows the H‑1B/green‑card system is structurally broken.
• Signaling and optics:
  • Startups and big firms post “we’re hiring” to look healthy and growing to investors, customers, and employees, even under freezes or layoffs.
• Pipeline / HR incentives:
  • “Always hiring” postings to “build a pipeline,” keep recruiters busy, practice interviewing, and be ready if headcount appears.
  • Some claim it’s mostly theater: recruiters rarely revisit old candidates.
• Internal politics & compliance:
  • Roles advertised only to justify predetermined promotions, nepotistic hires, or internal transfers.
  • Middle management may post roles whose budget or scope then disappears mid‑process.

Impacts on job seekers

• Widespread reports of:
  • Hundreds of applications with few or no responses; especially acute for senior, management, or older candidates.
  • Full interview loops ending with “we’re pausing or canceling the role” rather than a clear yes/no.
  • Deep frustration, burnout, and some leaving tech or traditional employment entirely.
• Remote work and post‑2021 layoffs increase competition; candidates now compete with global talent, including ex‑FAANG and visa workers.

Hiring‑side perspectives

• Hiring managers report:
  • Being flooded with low‑fit or AI‑generated resumes and even fake candidates, making triage noisy and error‑prone.
  • Heavy reliance on ATS keyword filters; many good candidates are filtered out, and warm referrals or internal champions dominate.
  • Strong bias toward specific tech stacks and “ready‑made” skills; little appetite for training.

Immigration, wages, and legality (highly contested)

• Some argue H‑1B/OPT workers are systematically underpaid, tied to employers, and used to suppress wages; others respond that law requires “prevailing wage” and that data don’t show broad suppression.
• Debate over whether ghost/visa‑driven postings and preference for visa holders violate anti‑discrimination law; some link to recent enforcement actions but acknowledge proof is hard.
• Various reform ideas surface: auctioning H‑1Bs to highest salaries, higher wage floors, automatic green cards for long‑term workers, or stricter, centralized labor‑shortage tests.

Alternative explanations and skepticism

• Several contend that the main reason jobs feel scarce is macro conditions: higher rates, broad hiring freezes, and elevated bars, not just ghost jobs.
• Others warn against confirmation bias: many “ghost” experiences may be disorganized recruiting, internal headcount changes, or simple rejection, which candidates can’t see from outside.

Proposed mitigations and tools

• Suggestions include:
  • Requiring public reporting of openings vs hires, or linking to a position’s posting history.
  • Treating willful fake postings as fraud or labor theft with meaningful penalties.
  • Community ratings for companies in job boards (including HN “Who’s Hiring”).
  • New candidate‑centric tools that track which postings actually advance applicants and deprioritize repeated reposts.