Nearly a quarter of UK workers (24%) believe they have applied for a ghost job – a job that doesn’t exist. The figure rises to 37% among 18 to 34 year olds, according to research from Employment Hero.
The rise of ghost jobs appears to be driven by a mix of factors, the research found. Some employers post roles to build a candidate pipeline, test salary expectations, or benchmark the market without an immediate intention to hire.
Employment Hero added that ghost jobs have also been linked to phishing activity, in which fake listings are used to collect personal information from jobseekers.
To avoid ghost jobs, candidates should be cautious about roles that appear to be permanently open. Instead, job seekers should search for job vacancies that usually spell out what they will be doing and use platforms that verify employers, said David Holland, managing director of talent at Employment Hero.
The research also showed that 33% of UK workers say their current role was difficult to find, rising to 46% among 18 to 34 year olds.
At the same time, 80% of workers say they have applied for a job and received no response, with 54% citing this as the most frustrating part of the job search.
Meanwhile, delays and poor communication are also major pain points. Nearly half of workers (46%) cite time-consuming tasks as the worst part of the recruiting process, 44% report long waits between interviews and 42% say they have been ignored or “ghosted” after interviews.
According to Employment Hero, these experiences are actively discouraging people from engaging with the labour market. Six in 10 workers (61%) say the job search or hiring process has put them off looking for a new role altogether, rising to 69% among younger workers and 67% among women.
Source – https://www.staffingindustry.com/news/global-daily-news/1-in-4-uk-jobseekers-applied-for-ghost-jobs