Imagine spending hours preparing your CV and cover letter to apply for an attractive job opening… that isn’t even real. You might even make it to an interview stage, unaware that the company never intended to hire anyone in the first place. Sounds absurd? And yet, the phenomenon of such fictional postings – called ghost job listings – is becoming increasingly common. It affects the Polish IT sector as well, leading to candidate frustration and distorting the perception of the job market. Thesis: “Ghost jobs” are not a marginal curiosity but a worrying global trend that benefits companies in the short term while undermining trust and job-market efficiency in the long term. In this article, we examine this phenomenon – its scale, causes, and consequences for candidates and the entire recruitment industry.
The rising scale of the phenomenon – how many postings are “ghosts”?
How widespread is the problem of fictional job postings? Recent research reveals alarming numbers. According to a worldwide ResumeBuilder survey from May 2024, 4 out of 10 companies admitted to posting at least one fake job offer in the past year, and 3 out of 10 keep active job ads for roles that do not actually exist. In other words, a significant share of publicly available job listings may be nothing more than a façade. What’s more, studies suggest that this issue particularly affects highly specialized positions—such as IT roles. An analysis by Hunter Ng from the City University of New York found that as many as 21% of all job ads can be classified as “ghost jobs”, with the practice most common in large companies and high-skill industries such as IT.
These are not isolated findings. In another study, 81% of recruiters openly admitted that they had posted a job ad with no real intention of hiring. Surveys by MyPerfectResume and data from recruitment platforms confirm that the scale of ghost job postings is significant and growing. Even recruitment platforms themselves acknowledge the problem: according to Greenhouse, roughly 18–22% of job listings on their platform each quarter are ghost ads with no real recruitment behind them. Interestingly, the issue also emerges in labor-market analyses: U.S. analytics firm Revelio Labs found that over the last 5 years, the number of hires per job posting has dropped by half—from 8 hires per 10 job ads in 2019 to only 4 per 10 ads in 2024. This means that more than half of published vacancies do not result in a hire, which is a strong indicator of the prevalence of ghost jobs.
It’s crucial to note that Poland is no exception. Although precise local statistics are lacking, market observations confirm the presence of this phenomenon. After the post-pandemic hiring boom came a cooling period—many companies became more cautious about adding new headcount due to rising labor costs (including candidate salary expectations and increases in the minimum wage) and internal savings programs. The result? Numerous job ads remain online for months, creating the impression that recruitment is ongoing even though the process is frozen—or the role never existed. Polish labor-market experts agree that the issue is no longer marginal; it has a global character and is clearly visible in Poland as well.
Additional evidence of its international scale can be seen in English-speaking markets. In the United States, around 1.7 million potential ghost job postings have been identified on LinkedIn alone (Resume Genius analysis cited by the BBC). In the United Kingdom, more than one-third of all active job postings in 2023 were listed for over 30 days—often a sign that the recruitment has long expired or is not real. Of course, not every long-listed posting is a ghost job, but such a high percentage raises justified concerns. All these signals point clearly to one conclusion: fictional job postings have become a noticeable feature of today’s recruitment landscape.
What exactly is a “ghost job”? Definition and examples
A ghost job is a job posting from a real company that does not correspond to any genuine intent to hire for that role. In other words, the company publishing the ad does not plan to hire anyone for the listed position. It may concern a completely fictitious role, a vacancy that has already been filled, or a position for which recruitment has been frozen. The key point is that the posting appears legitimate to candidates—yet the chance of being hired is zero, because the employer never planned to fill the role.
Examples of such situations appear frequently in accounts from candidates and recruiters. A common scenario involves recruitment processes that quietly “disappear”—candidates go through several stages (sometimes even performing test tasks), only for the company to suddenly stop responding or announce that the role has been filled internally or the decision postponed. Industry media have described cases where candidates suspect their test assignments were used by companies despite the recruitment being fake. Another form involves job postings that remain online long after they have expired, with no updates—leading more candidates to apply without receiving any reply. These ghost listings flood job portals, deepening the chaos and frustration among job seekers.
Why do companies publish ghost job postings?
If hiring isn’t the goal, why do companies engage in such practices at all? It turns out there are several reasons—and from an employer’s perspective, many seem quite rational. Research reveals a whole spectrum of motivations, from building candidate pipelines to manipulating employee morale. Here are the primary reasons cited by HR managers:
Building a future talent pipeline – companies collect CVs “for later”. Over one-third of surveyed employers admitted to keeping active postings purely to build a talent pool rather than to hire immediately. Especially in tech, ghost postings help companies monitor the availability of specialists and their salary expectations, so they can react quickly when a real need arises. Highly specialized roles (e.g., AI engineer, data scientist, developer) are difficult to fill, so companies want a “bench” of potential hires.
Creating the image of a rapidly growing company – posting many job ads (even fake ones) is meant to signal that the company is expanding and constantly hiring. Over 40% of HR managers in one survey admitted that they post ads without real hiring plans specifically to create the appearance of growth. Such a façade may improve employer branding in the eyes of candidates, investors, and competitors.
A “pressure tool” for current employees – new job postings can be used internally in two ways. First, they reassure overworked teams that “reinforcements are coming soon”. Second, they may encourage productivity through implicit threat: visible ongoing hiring can suggest replaceability. Nearly two-thirds of managers (63%) admitted that fake postings were used to convince staff that help was on the way, and 62% said they wanted to subtly signal that employees are “not irreplaceable”.
Market testing and meeting corporate KPIs – HR departments may post jobs simply to test candidate interest or gauge salary expectations. Posting a job ad today costs almost nothing, especially online, so companies can experiment freely. Sometimes corporations expect local branches to maintain a certain number of open requisitions—performing recruitment theatre to show activity and planned growth.
In short, a ghost job is a cheap, low-effort tool for achieving goals unrelated to real hiring. HR departments admit that maintaining the illusion of busy recruitment pipelines can even improve their internal standing. Unfortunately, this happens at the expense of candidates—and overall transparency of the job market.
Impact on candidates – frustration and loss of trust
For job seekers, ghost jobs are uniquely demoralizing. Candidates primarily lose time and mental energy. In an era of customized CVs and cover letters, applying to a single position can take hours—analyzing the posting, tailoring materials, completing detailed application questionnaires, or doing test tasks. When that effort is wasted because the posting was fictional, disappointment is inevitable. Industry reports note that lack of any response leads to discouragement and even burnout among job seekers. Imagine sending dozens of applications and receiving no replies—this is the daily reality for many IT candidates, and ghost jobs only amplify the problem.
Erosion of trust is another major consequence. When candidates suspect that some job ads are fake, they begin to approach the market with increasing cynicism. In the Greenhouse survey, 3 out of 5 candidates said they believe they have encountered a ghost job. Many avoid postings that are labelled “30+ days old”, assuming it’s wasted effort. Some become more selective and apply only where they are certain a real recruitment exists—though it’s unclear whether that’s more effective than sending many applications. What is certain is that the spread of ghost jobs undermines trust in employers. Candidates feel deceived and may avoid applying to those companies in the future. Paradoxically, a company that wanted to look attractive (“constantly hiring”) may end up repelling the very talent it hopes to attract.
Ghost jobs also reinforce the broader issue of ghosting in recruitment. Many candidates experience situations where, after submitting their CV—or even after an interview—the company simply goes silent. According to Greenhouse, 61% of candidates have been ghosted by an employer after an interview. The rise of AI tools used for initial screening has worsened the problem—full inboxes, too many applicants, and no time for responses. Fake postings add fuel to the fire: if there is no real role, communication with candidates is often ignored entirely. For candidates, this is a clear signal of disrespect. As Jon Stross, CEO of Greenhouse, notes, every unanswered email or “disappearing recruiter” is not a minor issue—it creates real costs for candidates and harms the company’s reputation. In the age of online reviews, these experiences spread quickly—further accelerating the erosion of trust.
Consequences for the job market and employers
Ghost jobs don't harm only candidates—they also have broad implications for the job market as a whole. First, they distort market efficiency and transparency. Labor economists rely on data such as the Beveridge curve (the relationship between vacancies and unemployment) to assess market health. Widespread ghost postings artificially inflate vacancy statistics. If over 50% of postings don't lead to hires, official labor-demand indicators stop reflecting reality. On a macro scale, this can lead to flawed conclusions and misguided public policy. Decision-makers and analysts are essentially misled, overestimating the market’s real demand for workers. As noted by Chris Maurer of the University of Virginia, many public institutions monitor job ads as a barometer of labor demand—ghost jobs can easily deceive them, creating the illusion of high demand.
Second, there are long-term consequences for employers themselves. While some short-term benefits are reported—68% of managers say ghost jobs improved financial results, and 77% claim increased productivity (e.g., through the “pressure effect”)—the downsides are significant. Relying on deceptive recruitment practices can backfire in employer branding and employee loyalty. Candidates lose trust and avoid applying later when genuine roles open. Internally, morale can fall when employees realize that promised “extra hands” never arrive, resulting in disappointment rather than motivation. Using hiring threats to pressure staff may boost output briefly but increases stress and burnout long-term.
Moreover, these practices raise ethical concerns. Many experts openly criticize ghost jobs as deceptive and harmful. Career advisor Stacie Haller from ResumeBuilder calls them “unacceptable,” emphasizing that undermining employee security and misleading candidates inevitably hurts the organization down the line. Companies are built on trust—from both employees and clients—and ghost jobs undermine that foundation. Some analysts even argue for more transparency and potential regulation to curb the practice. Otherwise, the job market risks becoming a theatre of illusions, where distinguishing real opportunities from fiction is increasingly difficult.
Fictional recruitment, real problem
The rise of fictional job postings in IT (and beyond) is a sign of our times—an era in which data and perception often matter more than reality. Ghost jobs have become a troubling norm, confirmed by data, reports, and experiences from both candidates and recruiters. Although such postings may offer companies short-term gains (in building talent pipelines or improving PR), they come with serious hidden costs: wasted candidate time, growing frustration, and deepening mistrust on both sides of the job market. In Poland—amid slowed hiring and corporate caution—it is all the more important to speak openly about this practice and highlight its consequences.
Can anything be done? Much depends on employer ethics and societal pressure. Public discussion is already helping: candidates are learning to spot suspicious postings, job portals are trying to remove outdated ads, and reputable industry media are condemning “ghost recruitment.” Perhaps in the future companies will realize that the short-term illusion of advantage does not outweigh long-term reputational loss. Transparency and honesty in recruitment may require more effort at first—but they pay off in loyal employees and better candidate matching.