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Ghost jobs and silence instead of feedback: Why are so many job applicants no longer receiving any response? We take a closer look at the phenomenon of ghost jobs and why frustration in the job market is currently so high.
No feedback, no updates, no response.
For many job seekers, this is the harsh reality of the application process. Increasingly, there is a suspicion that the advertised positions are so-called ghost jobs (€). But how much truth is there really to this perception? And what exactly are so-called ghost jobs?
Ghost jobs are job postings for positions that don’t actually exist or aren’t actively being filled, and according to a survey by the career website Resume Builder, they have long since become mainstream in the business world. 40% of managers surveyed in the U.S. stated that they had already published a fake job posting. The reasons for this range from collecting resumes for future use, to wanting to give the impression that the company is growing, to sending a tactical message to employees that they are replaceable.
Even though the trend of ghost jobs has not yet fully spread to Europe, over 60% of applicants report in a new survey that they received no response to their applications last year. For nearly 80%, this ghosting by companies has increased. Frustration that does not benefit the current job market.
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Companies are cutting back on training: The current weakness of the German economy weighs on the future—partly because many companies are cutting costs during the crisis instead of investing in innovation. According to a recent study, training budgets are particularly affected. There is also room for improvement when it comes to appreciation and feedback in times of rapid technological change.
No dismissal due to AI: In China, an employee was supposed to receive a lower salary after an AI took over his work—then he was fired. A court ruled against this. The reason: AI is not a valid justification for dismissal.
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This text first appeared as an editorial in the weekly politjobs newsletter. If you’d like to receive this newsletter with the latest jobs in the political sector directly by email every Wednesday, you can subscribe here.