Job Seekers Are Fed Up—And the Data Proves Why

A new Business Insider article puts hard numbers behind a disturbing trend: many job listings are simply not real. In 2019, over 90% of job postings from major U.S. companies were filled within six months. By late 2024, that figure had plummeted to under 50%.

These aren’t just delays. Many of these postings are never filled at all. They linger online for months—or years—misleading job seekers into thinking companies are actively hiring. In reality, many of these “ghost jobs” are kept live to build talent pipelines, give the illusion of company growth, or harvest applicant data without any real intent to hire.

That’s not just unethical—it’s a systemic breakdown of trust in the hiring process.

For job seekers, it’s demoralizing. Candidates spend hours tailoring resumes, writing cover letters, preparing for interviews, and then... nothing. No reply. No closure. No opportunity. And in some cases, no actual job behind the listing at all.

This is why we need the Truth in Job Advertising and Accountability Act (TJAAA).

The TJAAA is a first-of-its-kind federal proposal that tackles the ghost job epidemic head-on:

• It prohibits the posting of positions that are not being actively recruited for.

• It requires job listings to be truthful and current—not “evergreen” placeholders.

• It mandates transparency when AI or automation is used in the hiring process, including the right for applicants to opt out of automated systems.

• It protects personal data and limits profiling by systems that never intended to consider a real candidate.

• Ghost jobs aren’t a minor annoyance—they’re a pervasive form of digital fraud. They distort labor market data, waste applicants’ time, and allow companies to exploit personal information under false pretenses.

The TJAAA brings long-overdue accountability to job advertising—restoring fairness and transparency to a process that millions rely on to build their futures.

It’s time to stop pretending this is “just the way it works.”
It’s time to demand truth in job advertising.