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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A “ghost job” is a position advertised with no intent to hire immediately, or a posting for a position that is not actually available. But an old listing is not proof of deliberate deception: hiring plans change, roles are paused, and third-party job boards can keep copied ads online after an employer removes them. Ghost jobs are also different from scams in which an impostor uses a fake opening to steal money or personal information.
What is a ghost job?
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) describes “ghost” job postings as online ads for positions that do not exist or that employers do not plan to fill immediately. In everyday discussion, the phrase “fake job openings with no intent to hire” often refers to deliberate postings by real employers, but the same label can also be applied to roles that became unavailable or listings that were not removed promptly. Those cases should not be treated as proof of the employer’s intent.
CRS lists possible reasons an employer might post without an immediate plan to hire: building a pool of candidates for future needs, signaling growth to employees or investors, seeking unusually strong applicants, or advertising a diverse applicant pool despite planning an internal hire. These are possible explanations, not evidence that any particular employer used a posting for one of those purposes. CRS, “’Ghost’ Job Postings,” April 25, 2025, also notes that a role may be paused or filled after posting, and that third-party sites can continue displaying copied ads.
Three situations that can look alike
- Deliberate ghost posting: A real employer advertises a role without an immediate plan to fill it, such as to build a future candidate pool.
- Stale or changed listing: Hiring plans shift, a role is paused or filled, or a job board retains an outdated copy. A stale post alone does not establish deliberate deception.
- Job scam: An impostor invents a role or impersonates an employer to obtain money or personal information. This is fraud, not simply a real employer’s misleading or outdated listing.
How common are ghost jobs?
There is no official statistic for the overall magnitude of ghost jobs, according to the CRS. Available figures measure different things—job-board classifications, survey respondents’ suspicions, employer-platform outcomes, or a research dataset—and cannot be combined into a single share of all online openings.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems| Figure | What it measures | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| 18–22% of jobs posted in a given quarter | Greenhouse’s classification of postings on its own platform in its 2024 report. | Platform data, not a national estimate of all job ads. Greenhouse, December 10, 2024. |
| 60% in the U.S.; 56% in the U.K.; 59% in Germany | Share of surveyed respondents who said they had suspected and applied to a job they thought was a ghost job, in Greenhouse’s 2024 survey. | Reports candidate suspicion, not the percentage of postings that were ghost jobs. Greenhouse, State of Job Hunting 2024 infographic. |
| 82% filled; 18% not filled in 2024 | Outcomes for open jobs in Ashby customer data. Ashby says 5.5% were paused, 1% had an offer but no hire, and 3.5% had no reason given. | An unfilled position does not by itself show that the employer posted it without intent to hire. These are Ashby customer data, not all employers. Ashby, analysis of January 2021–December 2024 data. |
| Up to 21% of ads | Hunter Ng’s estimate from a particular Glassdoor-derived dataset and method in a 2024 arXiv preprint. | Not an official or universal rate. Hunter Ng, October 29, 2024. |
These figures answer different questions. Greenhouse’s survey captures what candidates believed about jobs they applied to; Greenhouse’s platform figure classifies postings on that platform; Ashby reports what happened to roles in its customer data; and Ng’s estimate comes from a specific dataset and method. None establishes what share of all job listings are deliberately fake.
Do ghost postings affect official job-opening statistics?
In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) counts an opening only when a specific position exists and work is available, the job could start within 30 days, and the employer is actively recruiting outside workers. CRS says that, if employers answer honestly, JOLTS openings are unlikely to be ghost jobs. It also notes that “actively recruiting” leaves room for ambiguity about how intensive the recruiting must be. JOLTS is an employer survey, not a count of every listing visible on job boards; the available evidence does not establish that ghost postings contaminate the official openings count. CRS, April 25, 2025.
How to check a job listing and recruiter
These steps help confirm whether a role is currently advertised by the employer and reduce scam risk. They cannot prove the employer will hire or establish its intent.
- Look for the role on the employer’s official careers site. Search the company’s own website rather than relying only on a listing copied to a job board. If it is not there, the post may be stale, but that alone does not prove the employer deliberately posted a ghost job.
- Apply through the official site when possible. Use contact details and links reached independently from the employer’s site, rather than trusting an unsolicited message or a suspicious link.
- Verify the recruiter’s identity. Contact the company using a channel listed on its official site if you are unsure whether a recruiter represents it. Be especially cautious about unsolicited approaches through social media or text.
- Protect personal and financial information. The Associated Press quotes Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center: “The only information a legitimate employer should ask for at the beginning of the process is your skills, your work experience, and your contact information.” Be wary of early requests for sensitive information, fake-check schemes, or requests to pay for equipment or accept a signing bonus arrangement that requires you to send money back. Associated Press, October 28, 2024.
What a suspicious listing can—and cannot—tell you
A posting that appears only on a third-party board, has disappeared from the employer’s careers page, or is followed by silence gives you a reason to verify the role. It does not, on its own, show whether the employer intentionally misled applicants: the job may have been paused, filled, or changed, or the copied listing may not have been removed. Likewise, a listing on the official site confirms that the employer is advertising the role there, not that hiring is guaranteed. Treat verification as a way to check the source and protect yourself from scams, not as a test that can read an employer’s intent.
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