Ghost Jobs: The Silent Saboteur for Job Seekers and Employers

Question:

Your article last week spoke about 'ghost jobs' in the market. Say there are a few in the market, why is it such a big deal? If I was looking for a job, I'd just keep trying until I found one.

Answer:

Herein lies the problem with all non-intent to hire job postings—by that, I mean job postings in the existing market that include ghost jobs, zombie jobs, talent pools disguised as immediate hire opportunities, scams, and more: these postings disrupt effective communication between real employers and real job seekers.

It's like litter on the beach. You might think it's "just one piece of litter" until you have to sit on the beach and deal with it.

Small businesses, like childcare centers, local restaurants, yoga studios, and ABA centers, are sitting directly on that beach. This is why you often hear small business owners lamenting that "no one wants to work anymore." They are busy running their businesses, doing inventory, taking orders, dealing with sick days, and filling out paperwork for tax purposes etc. They haven’t actually been in the job market for a while—and they don’t have fancy money to outsource it - so they see the outcomes they aren’t getting, but they don’t know why.

The reason they use Indeed is that Michigan Works and other free websites where they could post jobs don’t offer enough conversions. They don’t keep job seekers' attention long enough or consistently enough to get a turnaround. So, as busy employers, they have a choice: post for free on Michigan Works and then also make the same post on Indeed, or save time and post only on Indeed. They make a logical calculation.

To be clear, it becomes a vicious cycle because one daycare in Midland I spoke to has to sponsor jobs at the cost of $50 a day just to be visible among all these non-intent to hire postings. But that, in and of itself, creates a cycle where they are unable to offer higher salaries to retain employees longer due to the cost structure of these postings.

The labor force across the U.S. is also sitting on this metaphorical beach, facing similar challenges from the other angle. You mention how you would “just keep trying,” and people are doing just that.. That’s why you see articles like this one from Business Insider about a Gen Xer applying to 1,500 jobs or a millennial applying for jobs over four years.  Harvard tracked 27.4 million Americans in this long term job hunting situation in September 2021.

It's not just about perseverance; it's about navigating through a job market overwhelmed with noise, making the already difficult task of finding a job even more daunting. It’s about doing that while having no income, facing worse future opportunities because of employment gaps, and missing family gatherings because you might have to cancel plans suddenly when you get that “interview” call. It’s about doing life like that – for years. Just think of the toll.

In general, I would say that the key thing to remember about today’s job market is the reason to care about ‘ghost jobs’ in the market is that whether you are looking for work, hiring, existing as a capably employed adult with childcare needs,  or a business that relies on the people to be able to come to work BECAUSE they have childcare - what affects one of these groups affects all of these groups.