1 in 5 online job postings are either fake or never filled, study finds

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Fake vs. never-filled postings

  • Many commenters object to lumping “fake” jobs (no intent to hire) together with roles that were opened in good faith but never filled (budget pulled, priorities changed, internal candidate appears, hiring freeze).
  • Others argue that from an applicant’s perspective the distinction is moot: either way their time is wasted and the effect is indistinguishable from the outside.
  • Several stress that intent matters legally (fraud requires intent), but admit it is almost impossible to infer intent from public data.

Why fake / evergreen postings exist

  • Resume harvesting by agencies; building candidate databases and salary intel.
  • PERM/immigration requirements: posting roles tailored to an existing H‑1B employee and formally rejecting domestic candidates.
  • “Optics” for investors and markets: appearing to grow or “always hiring top talent.”
  • Internal politics and compliance: jobs posted even when an internal candidate is effectively preselected, or to satisfy policy.
  • Market research: testing salary expectations, skill availability, or justifying tech stack and location decisions.
  • Pacifying overworked teams by pretending help is “on the way,” or signaling “we’re hiring” while headcount is actually frozen.

Impact on job seekers

  • Many describe extremely low hit rates (hundreds of applications per interview/offer) and long-delayed rejections.
  • Ghosting is common at every stage, including after take-home tasks or multi-round interviews.
  • Job hunts are described as “soul-crushing,” especially for new grads and mid-career engineers in the current downturn.
  • Some say this has pushed them toward contract work, entrepreneurship, or leaving tech.

Hiring pipeline dysfunction & automation

  • ATS filters and one-click apply produce massive noise; recruiters report thousands of resumes per posting and high rates of resume fraud.
  • Hiring managers admit they skim or discard most applications rapidly and rarely read cover letters.
  • Automation on both sides (AI-written resumes, AI screening) worsens mismatch and delays.

Networking vs. public postings

  • Many report far better outcomes via referrals, prior colleagues, meetups, or niche communities than via job boards.
  • Others note networks can fail in broad downturns when many contacts are also unemployed.

Regulation and remedies (contested)

  • Some call for fines or regulation forcing postings to be “real” and closed promptly when no longer active.
  • Others see major practical and legal hurdles (proving intent, handling legitimate no-hire outcomes, risk of perverse incentives).