In May 2024, Resume Builder surveyed 1,641 hiring managers to assess the prevalence of posting fake job adverts. The study found that 40 per cent of companies have posted fake job adverts this year, and eight out of ten companies currently have active fake adverts.

A month later, MyPerfectResume surveyed 753 recruiters across the United States, and 81% admitted that their employers post fake job ads.

California news publication SFGate, and having studied these surveys and spoken to recruiters, found that this phenomenon is increasingly happening not only across the US, but is taking on a global scale.

According to MyPerfectResume’s research, 36% of hiring managers say a quarter of the ads they publish are fake, 21.5% say half, 18% say less than a tenth, 17% say up to three quarters, only 5% say none, and 2.5% say almost all are fake.

The main reasons cited by the majority (38%) were a desire to test market reaction to hard-to-fill vacancies and to maintain a presence on job sites even when companies are not hiring. But there are other common motivations as well. For example, to evaluate the effectiveness of job descriptions, to form a talent pool for the future, to get an idea of the labour market and competitors, or to assess how difficult it would be to replace certain employees.

Resume Builder’s research shows that the main reasons for posting fake vacancies are to deal with excessive employee workload problems (by giving them the false hope that they would soon get help and their workload would be alleviated or by fostering a feeling that they are replaceable) and to give the impression that the company is growing. The study suggests seven out of ten recruiters believe it is morally acceptable to publish fake adverts.

According to this research, the idea of posting fake job adverts most often comes from HR departments (37%), senior management (29%), executives (25%), investors (5%) or consultants (4%). Among companies that posted fake job openings in the last year, approximately 26% posted one to three fake ads, 19% posted five, 19% posted 10, 11% posted 50, 10% posted 25, and 13% posted 75 or more.

39% of Resume Builder respondents said candidates who applied to ghost jobs were always contacted, and another 45% said they were contacted sometimes. Of the companies that contact candidates, 85% say they have interviewed them.

As UK media outfit The Register points out, “none of those jobs are real, relief isn’t coming, and the sense that an employee is replaceable is basically tricking them into working harder to keep a job they probably wouldn’t have lost anyhow. Companies know this.”

Hiring managers say that publishing fake adverts has a positive impact on company revenues (68%), productivity (77%) and, surprisingly, employee morale (65%). But according to The Register, ‘that might be temporary, of course, until overworked employees realize there’s no relief on the way.’

“It’s a concerning scenario, particularly when these misleading postings originate from HR departments — the very entities entrusted with shaping accurate perceptions of their organizations,” says Resume Builder’s Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller. “Whether it’s to create an illusion of company expansion or to foster a sense of replaceability among employees, such practices are not acceptable. Employees deserve transparency about the companies they dedicate their time to.

“The frustration candidates experience due to fake job postings exacerbates the already stressful job search process. Companies engaging in this practice not only tarnish their reputation but also sabotage their long-term prospects. Deceptive practices erode trust, dissuading potential applicants from considering them in the future as viable employers,” adds Haller, expressing hope that as media scrutiny intensifies, “this unethical trend will diminish over time.”

Until then, The Guardian advises that you should always look for the date the advert was posted. “If there isn’t one, that’s a huge red flag. Similarly, if the advert is a week or so old when you see it, that isn’t a great sign either.”

The Guardian also advises finding the direct phone number of the hiring manager to make sure the job vacancy is real. “Even if that number isn’t listed. Even if you have to guess their extension. Because this demonstrates initiative, and that’s what employers like.”

SFGate, for its part, shares a link to an open collaborative document circulating on the internet that maintains a growing list of employers accused of posting ghost jobs. It also cites the advice of John Lovig, an experienced recruiter and career coach who has recruited for tech companies across the US, to continually network, even if you don’t have to, and to create original content online.

“I get career coaching requests because of the content that I put up,” he says, explaining that it engages audiences while advertising his services.