Hello denizens of /r/antiwork; We need to talk about something that's been bothering me, and many others, lately. I recently came across some alarming statistics from a survey conducted among 1,045 managers involved in the hiring process regarding ghost jobs. For those who might not know, ghost jobs are job listings that remain active even after the position has been filled or when there are no immediate plans to fill it.
Here are some key takeaways from the survey:
- 68% of managers had job postings active for more than 30 days
- 1 in 10 managers have had a job posting open for over 6 months
- 1 in 5 managers don't plan to fill open job positions until 2023 (the survery was conducted from August 31, 2022 to September 1, 2022)
- 50% of managers keep job postings open because they’re “always open to new people”
What's concerning is that these ghost jobs can create false hope for job seekers and waste a collectively non-trivial amount of time for everyone involved. They spend time and effort applying for these positions, only to find out later that the job has already been filled or there are no immediate plans to hire someone. This practice not only wastes the candidate's time but also contributes to a culture of uncertainty and instability in the workforce.
With many job postings listing hundreds of applicants per day, it's gotten me thinking about the psychological warfare between employers and employees; It wasn't too long ago that we had a hot market full of job listings, with some companies even hiring people just so they woudn't be available to their competitors. Pretty lofty, eh?
Maybe it's just me going on a full on witch hunt for Pepe Silvia and letting paranoia take the reigns, but what are the chances that this hasn't been discussed behind closed doors by the man? I want to say zero.
So, what's behind this anti-worker psychology? It seems like some employers use ghost jobs as a way to maintain control over their hiring process, keeping potential candidates on standby in case they need to fill a position quickly. Others might see it as a way to weed out candidates by making them jump through hoops for an interview or assessment that might never lead to a job offer.
I see it for what it is and I am sure that the wool isn't being pulled over your eyes either; It's a complete disregard for the health of the job market and by extension, you. These types of mental games are almost guarantueed to be the kinds of games that megalomaniacs and 1%er's play when they feel threatened.
Ghost jobs not only hurt individual job seekers but also contribute to a larger problem of labor instability and income inequality. It's time for employers to take responsibility for their hiring practices and treat job seekers with respect by being transparent about their intentions regarding job postings. How can we demand more transparency in the workforce and job market?