are now considering something that would have sounded strange a few years ago. That is banning jobs that aren't really jobs.
New York and Pennsylvania are moving legislation aimed at “ghost jobs.” These are positions companies advertise without an immediate intention to hire.
The Wall Street Journal reports that about 19% of digital job postings examined by Greenhouse in the second quarter showed signs of this behavior.
AI could make the problem much bigger.
Employers can now generate job descriptions, repost openings, screen applicants, and maintain candidate pipelines at almost no incremental effort.
Candidates can simultaneously use AI to find jobs and submit applications at unprecedented scale.
That creates a strange labor market.
AI agents may soon be applying to AI-generated job postings, while other AI systems reject the applications.
Lawmakers can require companies to disclose whether a position is actually being filled, but regulation addresses the symptom.
The bigger issue is whether we are designing a hiring system that produces enormous amounts of activity while steadily reducing trust in the information moving through it.
Should companies be legally required to certify that every publicly advertised position is funded, approved, and actively being filled?
🔥 Almost 1 out of 5 job openings online might be GHOST JOBS. 🔥
19%. (really)
The jobs candidates apply to... where no hiring takes place.
The resume is adjusted.
The cover letter is written.
Apply and wait.
Then see how THE SAME JOB appears in another posting after 3 weeks. 💀
And we wonder why candidates dislike recruiting right now.
It turns out that we need government to step in with new laws to introduce a revolutionary recruiting idea:
**THE JOBS SHOULD BE REAL.**
🇨🇦 In Ontario, we are already doing it.
Since January 2026, employers with 25+ employees are required to indicate if a publicly advertised job is for an **existing vacancy**.
Read it again.
We have to rely on GOVERNMENT REGULATION to get some more clarity about the reality of the job you apply for. 😂
When you are collecting 500 resumes for a job that will not be filled, that is not "building a talent pool."
This is **corporate catfishing**.
Should ghost jobs be illegal?
And should companies be FINEd for wasting candidates' time?
19%. (really)
The jobs candidates apply to... where no hiring takes place.
The resume is adjusted.
The cover letter is written.
Apply and wait.
Then see how THE SAME JOB appears in another posting after 3 weeks. 💀
And we wonder why candidates dislike recruiting right now.
It turns out that we need government to step in with new laws to introduce a revolutionary recruiting idea:
**THE JOBS SHOULD BE REAL.**
🇨🇦 In Ontario, we are already doing it.
Since January 2026, employers with 25+ employees are required to indicate if a publicly advertised job is for an **existing vacancy**.
Read it again.
We have to rely on GOVERNMENT REGULATION to get some more clarity about the reality of the job you apply for. 😂
When you are collecting 500 resumes for a job that will not be filled, that is not "building a talent pool."
This is **corporate catfishing**.
Should ghost jobs be illegal?
And should companies be FINEd for wasting candidates' time?