New Delhi: The Indian job market is witnessing a growing and worrying trend — the rise of ghost job postings, fake or inactive listings that companies upload without any real intent to hire. According to a detailed report by The Economic Times (ET), such misleading job advertisements have risen by nearly 25 percent year-on-year, creating confusion and frustration among millions of job seekers. These ghost job ads often appear on LinkedIn, Naukri, Indeed, and even official company websites, giving the false impression that businesses are expanding and hiring actively.
Experts cited by ET explain that companies resort to these ghost listings for several strategic reasons. Many firms use them to boost their employer branding and showcase growth, even when hiring budgets are frozen. Others post fake roles to collect resumes and build a talent database for future use. Some recruiters also use ghost postings to test the job market — to study salary expectations, talent availability, or candidate interest in certain positions. In short, these fake postings serve as low-cost tools for corporate intelligence and perception management.
However, this trend has serious consequences for job seekers. Candidates invest time and effort in applying for roles that may not even exist. Many report being ghosted after applying or seeing the same listing reposted multiple times without any update. According to ET’s data, nearly 20 percent of online job advertisements could be ghost jobs, especially in sectors like IT, manufacturing, retail, and construction where hiring patterns fluctuate frequently. The report also reveals that ghost job postings have grown by 25–30 percent in 2025, but only one in five such listings actually leads to a real interview or hire.
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Industries such as technology, construction, retail, and manufacturing are among the worst affected. Tech firms, for instance, often keep job openings live to attract professionals skilled in AI, cybersecurity, and analytics, even when no immediate hiring is planned. Retail and e-commerce companies post seasonal roles ahead of the festive rush and quietly withdraw them later. Similarly, construction companies sometimes use fake postings to signal growth or attract engineers for projects that are still awaiting funding.
For job seekers, the impact is both emotional and financial. Continuous applications with no feedback lead to discouragement and wasted time. As ET notes, this fake hiring activity also inflates the perception of job availability in India, painting a misleading picture of employment health. For policymakers and economists, it complicates the task of accurately measuring real hiring trends and assessing labour market conditions.
Experts recommend that candidates take a few steps to avoid falling for ghost jobs. Before applying, they should check whether the job is recently posted and listed on the company’s official website. Applicants can also cross-check with employees on LinkedIn or reach out directly to HR managers. If a job ad has been online for several months with no response or interview process, it’s likely inactive. Candidates should also prioritize roles with clear application deadlines and transparent recruitment steps.
The Economic Times report concludes that while ghost job postings may serve short-term corporate goals like branding or database building, they are eroding trust between employers and job seekers. As India’s employment ecosystem becomes increasingly digital, transparency and authenticity in hiring will be critical to restoring faith in online job platforms. Companies must realise that misleading job seekers not only damages their reputation but also skews the overall perception of the country’s economic health.
In a competitive job landscape where millions are searching for genuine opportunities, ghost postings have become a silent crisis — one that hurts both candidates and credibility.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
