One in Four have applied to jobs that don’t exist

This is exactly why trust in the recruitment industry is being eroded.

I’ve had candidates ask in the past whether a vacancy they applied for was even real, but I didn’t realise just how widespread the issue had become.

Recent research from Employment Hero shows that “ghost jobs” are on the rise — with 25% of UK workers believing they’ve applied for one. That figure jumps to 37% among 18-34-year-olds.

Some employers and recruiters are using job ads to build pipelines, test salary expectations, or benchmark the market — with no genuine intention to hire. Even more concerning are fake listings designed to harvest personal data through phishing.

The fallout is significant. 61% of job seekers say poor recruitment experiences have put them off applying for new roles altogether.

A fair and transparent hiring process matters. And for the avoidance of doubt — I’m far too busy working real roles with committed clients to waste anyone’s time with ghost vacancies.