Unveiling the 'Ghost Job' Dilemma: The Hidden Crisis in America's Job Market

‘Ghost Job’ Postings Add Another Layer of Uncertainty to Stalled U.S. Jobs Picture

Published November 11, 2025 – Updated 57 minutes ago

By Jeff Cox | @JeffCoxCNBCcom

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At first glance, the employment numbers show many jobs for everyone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts high job openings over many years. Those counts are near or above the number of people without jobs. A closer look finds a hidden problem: many postings show jobs that never fill.

What Are Ghost Jobs?

“Ghost jobs” are postings that look real yet stay open for a long time. This pattern tires job seekers and twists the official numbers. Since early 2024, data show postings exceed actual hires by more than 2.2 million each month. This gap means many listings are not filled.

Jasmine Escalera, a career expert from MyPerfectResume and author of a report on “the ghost job economy,” explains:

“The U.S. labor market looks strong on paper. Millions of openings show a chance for work, yet many are not real jobs. The ghost job issue fills hope, wastes time, and confuses the data that guide policy decisions.”

The Official Numbers vs. Reality

Job postings hit over 12 million in March 2022. They outnumbered workers available by more than 2-to-1.
In August 2025—the last month with data because of the government shutdown—there were 7.2 million openings. Actual hires numbered 5.1 million. The gap narrowed but is still large.
The ratio of openings to workers went from about 1.8-to-1 at the top to roughly 1.4-to-1 now. This shrink shows fewer ghost jobs but does not remove them.

Remember the two ideas in these numbers:

Listings show a snapshot, the stock of positions open right now.
Hires show the flow, the count of workers added each month.

When jobs stay posted for many months, employers keep them to build a list for later. Still, this does not explain all the ghost jobs.

Contributing Factors

Several trends keep ghost jobs alive:

U.S. rules limit foreign workers, which means fewer candidates for tough positions.
A report from the National Federation of Independent Business finds that 88% of applicants for small business jobs lack needed skills. This gap slows filling roles.
The market now slows down. Hiring pace is low and fewer people move between jobs; the quits rate has dropped more than 30% since March 2022, when many left their jobs.
Government disputes and a shutdown have made it hard to collect clear data.

Real-World Impact and Response

Ghost jobs affect many people:

Job seekers waste time and energy chasing roles that do not lead to work.
Employers may hurt their image when many posts go unfilled, warning off future candidates.
Policymakers and economists struggle with skewed data when they plan for the economy. The Federal Reserve studies BLS data closely to judge job market tightness and rising prices.

A petition on Change.org against ghost job listings has earned nearly 50,000 signatures.

Escalera states:

“Until job posts match real hiring, many will keep chasing work that is not there, and trust in how the market works will fall.”

Looking Ahead

As the U.S. job market changes, stopping ghost jobs becomes key for clear data and trust. New steps might focus on making job posts accurate, improving skills for workers, and fixing how data is gathered.

For now, the ghost job problem stays a hidden weight on the labor market, adding another twist to workers’ chances and policy plans.

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Reported by Jeff Cox for CNBC. Data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and national labor reports.

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