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What in the World
Developed over time first seen 11 hours ago
A BBC World Service episode examines “ghost jobs”: vacancies advertised online when an employer has no present intention of hiring. It cites a study suggesting that up to 22% of online listings examined across the US, UK and Germany last year fell into that category. Employers may use such adverts to gather potential candidates for future openings, while an applicant can spend time preparing a submission without knowing whether a role is available.
The programme speaks to a jobseeker, a business reporter and a career coach about the effect on applicants and ways to assess listings. It also discusses government efforts to restrict misleading adverts. The 22% figure is an estimate from a particular study, not a measure of every vacancy: a listing that remains online or receives no reply is not, by itself, proof that an employer never intended to hire.
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In short
- Ghost jobs advertise roles without a current intention to hire.
- The programme cites an estimate of up to 22% of listings in a three-country study.
- Applicants cannot reliably identify a ghost job from silence alone.
How this story developed
- 2 hours ago A BBC World Service episode examines “ghost jobs”: vacancies advertised online when an employer has no present intention of hiring. It cites a study suggesting that up to 22% of online listings examined across the US, UK and Germany last year fell into that category.
- BBC Business What in the World
- Apple Podcasts What in the World: The ghost jobs haunting your job hunt
- Columbia Law Review Ghost Jobs
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Employers can argue that keeping adverts open helps them build a pool of potential candidates and respond quickly when a role becomes available, especially when staffing needs change or hiring takes time. Requiring adverts to represent immediate vacancies could limit this flexibility, while clearer information about whether a role is active would help applicants make informed choices.
The case against
Applicants can argue that advertising a role with no present intention to hire wastes their time and may give them false hope, particularly when preparing applications requires substantial effort. They may also see misleading listings as undermining trust in recruitment; rules against them could promote more honest adverts, provided they distinguish deliberate misrepresentation from genuine changes in hiring plans.
Explained simply
A job advert does not always mean an employer is ready to hire. Some companies keep listings open to collect potential candidates for future vacancies, while jobseekers may spend time applying without knowing whether a role is currently available.
A study of online listings in the US, UK and Germany estimated that up to 22% were “ghost jobs”, but that figure applies to the listings it examined, not all vacancies. Governments have considered ways to restrict misleading adverts, and the issue matters because jobseekers need clear information to decide where to invest their time.