What are ghost jobs?
Ghost jobs are online postings for positions that don't exist, or that the employer isn't planning to fill soon. The US Congressional Research Service used that definition in an April 2025 brief on ghost job postings. A ghost job usually comes from a real company with no real opening behind the ad. That makes it different from a scam.
The same brief lists the reasons employers give for posting them. An employer may want to "evaluate the potential pool" of candidates for later openings. It may want to "suggest they are growing," to investors or to its own staff. It may also want to show it recruited a wide pool when it already plans to hire someone inside.
Some ghost jobs are accidents. The CRS brief notes that hiring plans change after a posting goes up, and that job boards can copy postings the employer has already filled. A stale copy on a board can stay up long after the real ad came down.
How common are ghost jobs?
Nobody can say with confidence. The CRS brief states that no official statistics exist on the number of ghost jobs. Surveys by a lending firm, recruiting software companies and workforce analytics firms have drawn media coverage, and the brief notes that some analyses doubt how common ghost jobs are. Treat any single percentage you read with caution.
Government counts of job openings use a strict test. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines a job opening for its JOLTS survey as a position where "a specific position exists and there is work available," the job could start within 30 days, and the employer is recruiting from outside. The CRS brief says ghost jobs are unlikely to show up in JOLTS as long as employers answer the survey truthfully.
So the openings number in the news and the ads on a job board measure different things. A board can show a posting that no survey would count as an opening. That gap is where your wasted applications go.
What does Ontario's law say about ghost jobs?
Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must say in every publicly advertised job posting whether it is for an existing vacancy. The same rules require a pay range, a note on any AI used in hiring, and a reply to interviewed applicants within 45 days.
The details are on the province's page of recent changes to the Employment Standards Act, last updated February 5, 2026. A pay range can be no wider than $50,000 a year, and the pay rule doesn't apply above $200,000 a year. Postings and application forms can't include "any requirements related to Canadian experience."
The 45-day clock runs from the date of the interview, or from the last interview if there were several. The employer can tell you in person, in writing or by electronic means. The rules don't apply to an employer with fewer than 25 employees on the day the posting goes up.
Job sites have duties too. Since the same date, operators of job posting platforms in Ontario must give users a way to report fraudulent postings and must publish a written policy on how those postings are handled.
Are there ghost job laws in the US?
None of the US bills checked for this page had become law as of November 3, 2026. New York came closest. Its bill S8877, joined with Assembly bill A6292A, passed the Senate on April 28, 2026 and the Assembly on June 2, 2026. The New York Senate bill page showed no action by the governor when checked for this page.
If it becomes law, the bill would cover employers with at least 100 employees and third-party job posting sites. Ads would have to state in bold capital letters whether the job is a current vacancy and when it will be filled. A posting with no plan to hire would have to say the employer is collecting resumes for future openings.
The sponsor's press release, dated June 18, 2026, adds that filled jobs must come down within two weeks. It sets a fine of $2,500 per publication, which doubles every 30 days a listing stays uncorrected.
Other states have bills at earlier stages. The CRS brief lists New Jersey bills A4625 and S3509 from June 2024, Kentucky HB 57 from January 2025 and California AB 1251 from March 2025. As of that April 2025 brief, no bill on ghost jobs had been introduced in Congress.
How can you tell if a job posting is a ghost job?
You usually can't prove it from outside, so look for several signs together. Check whether the posting appears on the employer's own careers page. Note how long the ad has been up and whether it names a team or a hiring date. In Ontario, a covered employer's posting with no vacancy statement is a warning sign by itself.
Use this table as a checklist. The "what to do" column is advice, and each row only raises the odds; none of them proves anything alone.
| Sign | What it may mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The ad is on a job board but missing from the employer's careers page | A board kept a copy after the real ad came down | Apply on the employer's site, or skip it |
| The same ad has been reposted for months | A talent pool, or a role that is hard to fill | Ask the recruiter whether there is an open vacancy today |
| An Ontario posting from a large employer has no vacancy statement | The employer may be breaking the 2026 rules | Ask, and weigh it like any other warning sign |
| The ad says "future opportunities" or "talent community" | Resumes are being collected for later | Apply only if it takes minutes, and don't count it as a real lead |
| You are asked to pay, deposit a check or move money | A scam, not a ghost job | Stop and report it |
| No word 45 days after an Ontario interview | The employer missed the 45-day rule | Ask in writing for the decision |
Here is an example message to send when a posting is unclear. Copy it and change the details.
Hi [name], I'm interested in the [job title] role (posting ID [number]). Before I apply, could you confirm whether this is for a current vacancy and roughly when you expect to make a hire? Thanks, [your name]
A clear answer helps you plan, and no answer tells you something too. Either way, the message takes two minutes.
How is a ghost job different from a job scam?
A ghost job wastes your time, while a scam wants your money or your identity. The Federal Trade Commission's page on job scams says "Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job." It also warns against depositing a check from an employer and sending part of it back.
In the US, report a job scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to your state attorney general, as that FTC page advises. The CRS brief adds that reports of job and employment agency scams to the FTC nearly tripled from 2020 to 2024.
In Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre lists signs such as "A company uses a web-based email instead of an official business domain" and "You receive a job offer you did not apply for." It says to report fraud to your local police and to the centre, online or at 1-888-495-8501.
What should you do with your time instead?
Spend most of your applications on postings that pass the checks above, and apply on the employer's own site when you can. Keep a short log of each posting, the date you applied and any reply. After a few weeks, the log shows which sources lead to real conversations and which never answer.
The page on how many applications it takes to get a job covers how to set a weekly number. The page on tailored applications vs mass applying explains why fewer, better applications often beat volume. If you are in Canada, the guide to job search sites in Canada includes a search engine that indexes employer sites directly.
When you do find a real opening, tailor the resume to it. The free resume optimizer checks every line against the posting. If you interview and then hear nothing, the page on how long to hear back after an interview sets out what is normal.