212 – The Diabolical Math Behind Ghost Jobs
The news keeps saying there are millions of open jobs, so why does applying feel like screaming into a void?
If you've gone job hunting lately, you already know something is deeply wrong. You fire off dozens of applications, hear back from almost none, and the rare company that responds wants nine rounds of interviews before ghosting you. Today we dig into ghost jobs, aka the jobs companies post with no intention of hiring for. And guess what? The numbers are worse than you think. A third of all jobs are “ghost jobs” according to some of our sources, and still others are postings that ask for outrageous requirements for less money than a college grad would expect. So the big question is, why? Why so many ghost jobs? Why post jobs at all if there’s no intent to hire? And what hidden market forces are incentivising companies to put up a front, when in reality they aren’t looking for a match anyway? And lastly, what do all these shady job practices have to do with AI? Are corporations justified in posting fake jobs because of AI for some reason?
Links:
https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/will-ai-replace-workers-jobs-layoffs-1236569444/
https://www.finalroundai.com/blog/ai-tech-layoffs-mid-2025
https://tech-insider.org/tech-layoffs-2026-ai-workforce-impact/
https://medium.com/@patricklindsley1/from-1-in-8-to-1-in-5-ghost-jobs-are-exploding-in-2025-a7a1fbdad011
https://www.davron.net/ghost-jobs-misleading-job-ads-are-still-rising-what-job-seekers-and-employers-need-to-know/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/one-quarter-of-jobs-posted-online-are-fake-ghost-jobs-study/496683