Ghost jobs are still common in 2026. Hiring platform Greenhouse says that in any given quarter, 18% to 22% of jobs posted on its platform are ones companies are not actively trying to fill, and about 19% of postings in the second quarter of 2026 fit that description. On the candidate side, 69% of US job seekers say they have run into fake job postings, and 47% of US professionals in a March 2026 Enhancv survey say they applied to a role that did not exist.
Employers are fairly open about it. In a June 2026 survey of 1,500 US hiring managers, 90% said companies intentionally post listings they do not plan to fill right away, most often to build a pool of future candidates.
Government data shows a steady gap too: in August 2026, US employers reported 7.1 million job openings but made 5.2 million hires. That gap is not a ghost job count. Separately, lawmakers in New York, New Jersey and other states are now writing rules for job ads.
Key takeaways
- 18% to 22% of jobs posted on Greenhouse in a typical quarter are classified as ghost jobs (Greenhouse, Dec. 2024 and Aug. 2026).
- 69% of US job seekers say they have encountered fake job postings (Greenhouse, Nov. 2025).
- 47% of hiring managers say the top reason for ghost listings is building a pool of future candidates (Resume Genius, June 2026).
- US job openings exceeded hires by 1.9 million in August 2026, or 1.36 openings per hire (BLS JOLTS, Sep. 2026). That gap includes real, hard-to-fill jobs.
- 34% of Indeed job ads checked in September 2026 had been posted 30 or more days earlier, rising to 43% in technology (Kickresume, Oct. 2026).
- Ontario has required job ads to say whether a vacancy exists since January 1, 2026. New York’s bill passed both chambers in 2026 but had no recorded governor action as of October 13, 2026.
US job market this month
US employers had 7.1M job openings in August 2026 and made 5.2M hires. About 3.1M people quit their jobs, a quit rate of 1.9%. The unemployment rate was 4.2% in September 2026.
That works out to 1.01 job openings for every unemployed person in August 2026, a quick read on how hard the search is for job seekers.
Job openings, hires and quits come from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, which runs about a month behind the unemployment rate. The latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. All figures are seasonally adjusted. Source: BLS (job openings, hires, quit rate, unemployment rate). Updates automatically each month.
What is a ghost job?
A ghost job is a posting for a role the employer has no current plan to fill. Greenhouse describes them in its State of Job Hunting report as “positions advertised with no intent to hire.” Some stay up after the job is filled, some collect resumes, and some make a company look like it is growing. Unlike a scam, the company is real; the opening is not. For how this plays out in software and IT hiring, see Apollo’s article on ghost jobs in tech.
How common are ghost jobs in 2026?
The best platform-level number comes from Greenhouse, which sees hiring activity behind each posting. Its December 2024 report found 18% to 22% of postings on its platform are ghost jobs in any given quarter. Axios reported in August 2026 that internal Greenhouse data still shows 18% to 22% in a typical quarter, and the Wall Street Journal reported 19% for the second quarter of 2026.
Job seeker surveys mostly measure suspicion, not confirmed ghost postings, so read them as a measure of trust rather than a count.
| Study | Who was asked | Sample, date | Ghost job finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse platform data | Jobs posted on Greenhouse | Quarterly, reported Dec. 2024 and Aug. 2026 | 18% to 22% of postings are ghost jobs; about 19% in Q2 2026 |
| Greenhouse AI Trust Crisis survey | US job seekers | 1,200 US (4,136 total), Nov. 2025 | 69% have encountered fake job postings |
| Resume Genius Job Seeker Insights | Active US job seekers | 1,000, Mar. 2026 | 67% have suspected a posting was fake or misleading |
| Enhancv ghost jobs survey | US professionals | 1,000, Mar. 2026 | 47% applied to a role that did not exist |
| Employment Hero / Angus Reid | Canadians who applied in past 2 years | 1,004, Jan. 2026 | 56% suspect they applied to a ghost job |
| Resume Genius Hiring Trends | US hiring managers | 1,500, June 2026 | 90% say companies post jobs they do not plan to fill right away |
| Resume Builder | US hiring managers | 1,641 surveyed (649 completed), May 2024 | 40% say their company posted a fake listing in the past year |
Sources: Resume Genius, Enhancv, Employment Hero (Ontario was highest at 61%) and Resume Builder, whose 2024 survey is still the most cited employer admission.
Why do companies post ghost jobs?
Most reasons come back to keeping options open. In the Resume Genius 2026 Hiring Trends Report, a June 2026 survey of 1,500 US hiring managers, 90% said companies intentionally post jobs they do not plan to fill immediately. The leading motive was building a candidate pool for future openings.
The 2024 Resume Builder survey asked companies that admitted posting fake listings what they wanted to achieve. The answers show that many reasons have little to do with hiring.
| Stated goal of posting a fake listing | Share of companies that posted one |
|---|---|
| Appear open to external talent | 67% |
| Appear to be growing | 66% |
| Make employees expect lighter workloads | 63% |
| Make employees feel replaceable | 62% |
| Collect resumes for later | 59% |
Of companies that contacted applicants for these listings, 85% interviewed them for roles that were not open.
How big is the gap between job openings and hires?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS report for August 2026, released September 29, 2026, shows 7.1 million job openings and 5.2 million hires. Openings exceeded hires by about 1.9 million, or 1.36 openings for every hire. Over the 20 months from January 2025 to August 2026, the monthly gap ranged from 1.3 million to 2.4 million.
Why this is not a ghost job count: JOLTS openings are a snapshot of positions open on the last business day of the month. BLS only counts a job if a specific position exists, it could start within 30 days, and the employer is actively recruiting from outside (BLS definitions). Hires are everyone added to payroll during the month. So the two numbers measure different things. A job open for three months counts as an opening three times and a hire once, and hard-to-fill engineering and trades roles widen the gap without any ghosting. Reports that call the whole gap “ghost jobs” go beyond what the data shows.
The gap does show where openings sit longest. Information, finance and government have far more openings than hires. Construction and hospitality hire more people than they have openings because turnover is high.
| Month | Job openings | Hires | Openings minus hires | Openings per hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 2025 | 6,919,000 | 5,145,000 | 1,774,000 | 1.34 |
| Dec. 2025 | 6,550,000 | 5,272,000 | 1,278,000 | 1.24 |
| Mar. 2026 | 6,887,000 | 5,535,000 | 1,352,000 | 1.24 |
| Apr. 2026 | 7,585,000 | 5,215,000 | 2,370,000 | 1.45 |
| May 2026 | 7,537,000 | 5,252,000 | 2,285,000 | 1.44 |
| June 2026 | 7,182,000 | 5,332,000 | 1,850,000 | 1.35 |
| July 2026 | 7,335,000 | 5,146,000 | 2,189,000 | 1.43 |
| Aug. 2026 (preliminary) | 7,079,000 | 5,192,000 | 1,887,000 | 1.36 |
How many job postings stay open for 30 days or more?
Posting age is one of the few signals job seekers can see. A Kickresume study published October 7, 2026 checked 96,902 Indeed job ads in the US and UK during September 14 to 18, 2026. It found 34% had been posted 30 or more days earlier, 36% in the US alone. Technology had the highest share at 43%. Exact reposts and “urgent hiring” ads with no closing date were rare, at 0.1% each.
An old posting is a warning sign, not proof; many senior and technical roles take more than a month to fill. Here is how long admitted fake listings stayed up in the 2024 Resume Builder survey:
| How long the fake listing stayed active | Share of companies |
|---|---|
| Under one week | 6% |
| A few weeks | 28% |
| One month | 31% |
| Three months | 19% |
| Six months | 7% |
| One year or more | 9% |
How do ghost jobs affect job seekers?
The cost shows up in time, money and trust. In Enhancv’s March 2026 survey of 1,000 US professionals, 25% reached the interview stage before learning the role was a ghost, and 37% spent their own money on the process, most often on travel and gas. Greenhouse found 46% of US job seekers say their trust in hiring has dropped over the past year. Competition adds to the strain: Ashby data cited by Axios shows about 291 applications per hire, up from roughly 100 in early 2021. For the other side of the market, our layoff statistics track 2026 job cuts by industry and reason.
| Job seeker impact | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applied to a role that did not exist | 47% | Enhancv, Mar. 2026 |
| Trust in hiring decreased in past year | 46% | Greenhouse, Nov. 2025 |
| Paid out-of-pocket costs on a ghost role | 37% | Enhancv, Mar. 2026 |
| Reached interviews before finding out | 25% | Enhancv, Mar. 2026 |
| Cut back on applications afterward | 24.2% | Enhancv, Mar. 2026 |
| Ghosted after a job interview | 61% | Greenhouse, Dec. 2024 |
| Top frustration: no response after applying | 55% | Resume Genius, Apr. 2026 |
| Canadians discouraged from looking for a new role | 78% | Employment Hero, Jan. 2026 |
For broader numbers on how long searches take and how many applications people send, see Apollo’s job search statistics.
Are ghost jobs illegal? Laws and bills in 2026
In the US, no federal law bans posting a job you do not intend to fill. Ontario, Canada is the first major jurisdiction with a rule in force, and several US states have bills. The proposed federal “Truth in Job Advertising and Accountability Act” is a draft from an advocacy group, not a bill. As of June 2026, HR Dive reported that no federal bills were pending. Senator Ruben Gallego sent letters on June 18, 2026 asking the Department of Labor, the FTC and BLS what they are doing about ghost jobs.
| Jurisdiction | Rule | Status (Oct. 13, 2026) | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario, Canada (ESA s. 8.5) | Employers with 25+ employees must state in public job ads whether the posting is for an existing vacancy; also AI-use disclosure | In force | Jan. 1, 2026 |
| New York (S8877 / A6292-A) | Employers with 100+ employees and job platforms must state in bold capitals whether the role will be filled within 90 days, later, or is not a current vacancy; remove filled ads within 2 weeks; $2,500 fines, rising if not fixed | Passed Senate Apr. 28 and Assembly June 2, 2026; no governor action recorded | Immediately on signing |
| New Jersey (S2136) | Ads must state whether the job is an existing vacancy; remove filled postings | Cleared Senate Labor Committee, May 2026 | None yet |
| California (AB 1251) | Job ads must state whether the posting is for a vacancy | Passed Assembly 2025; held in Senate Appropriations Aug. 29, 2025; not passed by the Aug. 31, 2026 end-of-session deadline | None |
| Pennsylvania (HB 2321) | Disclose whether a role is existing, anticipated or new, with hiring and start dates and AI use | Referred to House Labor and Industry Committee Mar. 26, 2026; no further action | None |
| Kentucky (HB 57, 2025; HB 342, 2026) | Would bar employers from publishing ghost job postings, with penalties | Referred to committee, no further action | None |
| Federal (US) | “Truth in Job Advertising and Accountability Act” proposed by advocates | Not introduced in Congress | None |
| Texas (Attorney General) | Consumer protection investigation of LinkedIn over ghost jobs and Premium subscriptions | Civil investigative demand issued July 2026; no lawsuit filed | Not a law |
New York’s bill is the one to watch. The NY Senate bill page shows it passed the Senate 39 to 19 on April 28, 2026 and passed the Assembly on June 2, 2026, with no delivery to the governor, signature or veto recorded as of October 13, 2026. If signed, it takes effect immediately. In Ontario, ads must include “a statement disclosing whether the posting is for an existing vacancy or not” (AHBL), and employers must tell interviewed candidates within 45 days whether they were hired. Kentucky’s HB 57 and HB 342 never left committee, and Texas’s LinkedIn investigation has not led to a lawsuit.
How can you tell if a job posting is a ghost job?
No single sign proves a posting is fake, but job seekers report the same warning signs again and again. In Enhancv’s survey, the most cited ghost job red flag was a posting three or more months old (27.2%), followed by a rejection-then-repost loop (16.1%) and a recruiter admitting they were not hiring (15.5%). Resume Genius asked what makes a posting seem fake or misleading in general:
- Check the posting date. 34% of Indeed ads in Kickresume’s sample were 30+ days old. Older ads are not always fake, but apply to fresh ones first.
- Look for the job on the company’s own careers page. If it is on a job board but not the company site, it may have been filled or pulled.
- Watch for the same role reposted after you were rejected. 16.1% of Enhancv respondents named this loop as a red flag.
- Read for specifics. Vague company details (52%) and missing pay (41%) are both on the Resume Genius list. In Ontario, ads must now say whether a vacancy exists.
- Ask directly. On a first call, ask when the role must be filled.
- Use sources with live roles. Apollo’s guide to the best job search websites compares where to look, and recruiter-held openings are tied to an active client search.
What do these ghost job statistics mean for employers?
Honest job posting is good recruiting. Candidates now expect ghost jobs, so a clear, current posting stands out.
- Trust is your edge. With 69% of US job seekers saying they have seen fake postings, a real job with a real timeline gets more serious applicants.
- Take filled roles down fast. New York’s bill would require removal within two weeks. Doing it now costs nothing and protects your brand.
- Label pipeline postings honestly. If you are building a talent pool, say so. Ontario already requires it for employers with 25+ staff there.
- Close the loop with candidates. 61% of job seekers have been ghosted after an interview. A short decision note keeps your reputation intact.
- Time your posts. Post once the role is approved. See when is the best time to post a job.
Recruiter tip: Put a target start date and the pay range in every posting, and refresh or remove it every 30 days. Candidates read posting age as a trust signal, and engineers and IT pros with options skip ads that look stale.
If you are hiring engineers or IT professionals, see Apollo Technical’s engineering staffing and IT staffing services or send us a hire request. If you are looking for work, browse real openings on our find jobs page.
Methodology and sources
We used the most recent data available on October 13, 2026 and checked every figure against the source page. Survey figures reflect what respondents reported and are not counts of confirmed ghost postings. JOLTS figures are seasonally adjusted, use the latest revised values, and August 2026 is preliminary. September 2025 values come from the March 2026 release because the original release was delayed by the 2025 federal funding lapse. Gaps and ratios were calculated by Apollo Technical.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, releases Mar. 13 to Sep. 29, 2026.
- Greenhouse (Dec. 10, 2024; Nov. 19, 2025); Axios (Aug. 21, 2026); Allwork.Space citing the Wall Street Journal (Aug. 21, 2026).
- Resume Genius, Job Seeker Insights Report (Apr. 8, 2026) and Hiring Trends Report (July 30, 2026); Enhancv ghost jobs survey (Mar. 13, 2026); Employment Hero and Angus Reid (Jan. 2026); Resume Builder (June 2024).
- Kickresume ghost jobs study (Oct. 7, 2026).
- Laws: NY Senate, Kentucky Legislature, CalMatters, AHBL, Lawyers for Employers, HR Dive, Staffing Industry Analysts, Jobicy, Sen. Gallego’s office and FOX 7 Austin (Nov. 2025 to Oct. 2026).
