Around a third of UK job adverts may be ghost jobs. A 2023 analysis by StandOut CV of 91,318 listings across the UK's 30 largest cities, towns and boroughs found 34.4% were still advertised after more than 30 days, the point at which it classed them as ghost jobs. In a separate 2025 survey of more than 1,200 employers in the UK, US and Germany, Greenhouse found as many as 34% of UK roles posted online were never actively being recruited for.

That is a different problem from being ghosted, where a real employer stops replying to you. Job seekers use "ghosting" for both, because from the outside they look the same: you apply, and nothing comes back. They have different causes and different fixes.

Comparison of a ghost job and being ghosted, covering what it is, who goes silent, when it happens and what to do.

What a Ghost Job Is

A ghost job is a listing for a role the employer is not actively trying to fill. It still has a title, a description and an apply button, but nobody is working towards a hire in the near future.

Employers keep these listings live for several reasons:

  • The role went to an internal candidate or a referral, and nobody took the advert down.
  • The budget was frozen after the listing went live, and the company would rather pause than withdraw it.
  • The team wants a pool of CVs for a role it expects to open later.
  • A busy careers page makes the company look like it is growing, to investors, clients or its own staff.

US survey data shows how often the talent pool reason comes up. Half of the 1,000 US hiring managers in Clarify Capital's October 2023 survey said they had posted roles to keep a warm talent pool ready for future hiring.

How Common Ghost Jobs Are in the UK

FindingFigureSource
UK job ads still listed after more than 30 days34.4%StandOut CV, 2023 (91,318 UK listings)
UK roles posted online that were never actively recruited forUp to 34%Greenhouse employer survey, 2025 (1,200+ employers, UK, US and Germany)
The same measure across the UK, US and Germany22%Greenhouse employer survey, 2025
Jobs on Greenhouse's platform classified as ghost jobs each quarter18 to 22%Greenhouse, 2024 State of Job Hunting
Candidates who suspect they have come across a ghost job3 in 5Greenhouse, 2024 State of Job Hunting (2,500 workers, US, UK and Germany)
US hiring managers who posted roles to keep a warm talent pool50%Clarify Capital, 2023 (1,000 hiring managers)
US hiring managers whose company posted a fake job in the past year40%ResumeBuilder, 2024 (649 hiring managers)

The two UK figures measure different things. StandOut CV counted adverts left up past 30 days, while Greenhouse asked employers whether roles were actually being recruited for.

Five signs a listing is a ghost job: reposted again and again, no salary and vague duties, not on the careers page, always accepting applications, and no named team or contact.

Five Signs a Listing Is a Ghost Job

No single sign proves a listing is a ghost job. A listing that shows two or three of these is worth checking before you spend an evening on a cover letter.

Reposted Again and Again

Most job boards show when a role was posted. A listing live for more than 30 days, the threshold StandOut CV used, or the same advert reappearing word for word every few weeks, can point to a vacancy nobody is actively working on. Search the exact job title with the company name to see how many copies exist.

No Salary, Vague Duties

Watch for descriptions full of generic traits with nothing concrete on pay, scope or reporting line. A missing salary band proves little on its own, but alongside the other signs it adds weight.

Not on the Careers Page

Check the employer's own website. A role listed on job boards but missing from the company's careers page may have closed and been left to run elsewhere. While you are there, check recent news for redundancies or a hiring freeze. You can also look the company up on Companies House to see whether it is still active and filing accounts.

"Always Accepting Applications"

Phrases such as "always accepting applications" or "join our talent community" describe a talent pool with no start date. Applying costs little, so skip the tailored cover letter.

No Named Team or Contact

If the advert names no team, recruiter or hiring manager, there is nobody you could email about the role. When a contact is named, look them up to check they still work there.

Questions to Ask Before You Invest Time

If you reach a screening call, ask when they expect to make a hire, whether the role is new or a replacement, and how many people are already in the process. A recruiter working a live vacancy can usually answer all three. Vague answers to every one of them are a warning sign.

Being Ghosted Is a Different Problem

Being ghosted means a real hiring process stopped talking to you. The role existed, someone intended to fill it, and then the employer went quiet, with no rejection, no update and no reply to a follow-up.

In the UK it often starts at the first step. Indeed research with 1,000 UK workers and 1,000 hiring professionals, reported by HRreview in May 2024, found UK job seekers said they hear nothing back from 55% of the jobs they apply for. Some of that silence may come from ghost jobs, and some from real vacancies where nobody replied.

Being ghosted usually costs more than a ghost job, because it can happen after interviews and tasks, on a listing that was real all along. Our guide on what to do if you are ghosted after an interview covers how long to wait and what to send.

What a Ghosted Rating Counts

A Ghosted Rating on GhostedBy measures being ghosted. It is the share of reported outcomes that ended with no reply, out of all outcomes that ended in silence or a response. Pending applications are left out, only verified accounts count, an application can be reported as ghosted only after 21 days with no contact counted from the employer's last contact, and a percentage appears only once a company has five or more reported outcomes. Every rating shows the sample behind it.

A rating counts the outcomes of applications, not how many adverts an employer leaves up. It tells you how an employer has treated people who applied, and it cannot tell you whether a particular advert is genuine, so use the five signs above for that. To see how an employer has treated past applicants, check the company on GhostedBy before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Ghost Job?

A job advert for a role the employer is not actively trying to fill, often left up after the role was filled, frozen or never approved.

How Common Are Ghost Jobs in the UK?

StandOut CV found 34.4% of UK listings it analysed in 2023 were still live after more than 30 days, and a 2025 Greenhouse employer survey put the share of UK roles never actively recruited for at up to 34%.

How Can I Tell if a Job Is Real?

Check when it was posted, whether the employer's own careers page lists it, whether it names a team or contact, and whether a recruiter can tell you when they expect to hire.

Does a Ghosted Rating Include Ghost Jobs?

A rating counts the outcomes of applications reported by verified candidates, not how many adverts an employer posts. An application can be reported as ghosted only after 21 days with no contact from the employer.

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