‘I just never expected landing a job would be so difficult in SG’: Local questions rise of ‘ghost jobs’

SINGAPORE: Frustrated by the growing number of deceptive job ads, a local jobseeker took to social media to ask why some hiring managers would “waste their time” posting “ghost jobs” and put candidates through interviews when they seemingly had no intention of filling the role in the first place.

In a post on Reddit’s r/askSingapore forum, the local said they have been job hunting for quite some time and have noticed that some positions remain open for months despite companies stating in their listings that they are hiring urgently.

“How is a 6-month contract role that needed people who were immediately available still open after 6+ months?” they wrote.

“The contract period is literally over. And no, they did not actually hire anyone, because I got called by two different headhunters for that same role 6 months ago and again recently. No, the company did not actually hire anyone.”

They added that they have also come across roles that have been sitting online for nearly a year without any updates.

“What is happening behind the scenes? Headcount freeze? Just collecting CVs for fun? Literally nobody got hired after all that time.”

‘I really want to give up’

The jobseeker also said that some of these companies even make the candidates go through what they called “ghost interviews.”

They have personally experienced this themselves. In some of the companies they applied for, they were assigned “case studies” and interviewed multiple times.

In one particularly frustrating instance, they said they even had a very lengthy and “genuine conversation” with the hiring manager, which naturally made them think they had a shot at getting the job.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be a hoax…again.

“I get that not every interview ends in an offer, but when the conversation runs 30-45 minutes over and they’re asking questions they didn’t have to ask, it does get my hopes up because I care about getting the role.” 

“But for some of these roles, at the end of the day, I learnt that they never actually hired anyone. It’s one thing to lose to another candidate, it’s another thing to realise that I never had a chance from the start. In that case, why waste your time asking me to come for the interview? And then you have to pick yourself up, do the same amount of prep, and bring the same energy for the next interview.”

At the end of their post, they wrote: “I can go through rejections and all that, but there comes a point where you really, really want to give up. I just never expected landing a job would be so difficult in Singapore.”

‘I just want to encourage you to not give up’

In the comments, tons of people agreed with the poster, calling out companies for posting fake job listings without giving a second thought to all the time and energy candidates waste on them.

One user called such employers “unicorn seekers.” 

Some speculated that some companies may simply be advertising positions and pretending to interview locals to “justify future Employment Pass applications by claiming they were unable to find a suitable local candidate.” 

A few even suggested that firms use interviews to gather free ideas, marketing insights, or information about competitors.

One user said, “They have to ‘interview’ local candidates for at least 1 month and show proof of that before they can hire their ideal foreign candidate.”

Another commented, “As many said, it’s to hire a foreign candidate who probably has an agreement with the bosses already.”

A third wrote, “Honestly, the situation is getting bad now, and many MNCs are exploiting this to get away with it.”

However, several users who claim to have hiring experience pushed back against the idea that every long-running job advertisement is a ghost job. Albeit, they understood why some job seekers might see it that way.

They explained that there are several reasons a vacancy might remain online for months. In some cases, a company may have already filled the role but simply forgotten to remove the listing. 

In others, the business could be expanding in the future and planning ahead for future manpower needs. 

In this scenario, employers may not be in a rush to fill those positions since expansion plans often take time to materialise.

There are also companies with high staff turnover, meaning they are constantly recruiting to replace departing employees.

Some employers may also genuinely struggle to find candidates with the specific skills and experience they need.

A hiring manager chimed in to share an example: “One of the unexpected things that happened when I first got into a position to hire was how hard it is to actually find a suitable candidate that can speak Chinese.” 

“I used to work for an MNC whose main operations in Asia were in Greater China or dealing mainly with Chinese-speaking staff in Malaysia. It took me more than 6 months to find someone who can actually do the job and also speak decent Chinese.”

Another said, “Have been on the hiring manager side of things; very often, candidates may reject an offer as they might be fishing for better offers, so we just have to get HR to repost the posting.”

A third user, meanwhile, encouraged the post author not to lose heart. “I probably cannot advise on why such hiring managers do such stuff, but I just want to encourage you to not give up.” 

“You might think that it’s wasting time going for such interviews when there is no hiring intent or wasting time applying for roles. But from my experience, you should view this as a practice and a way to polish yourself up for interviews. Good luck and think positively.”

Ghost jobs

The job market has been described many times by netizens as “brutal.” Fresh graduates, laid-off workers, and mid-career professionals looking to change industries are all competing for the same opportunities. 

But with the emergence of “ghost jobs,” the whole situation has become even more challenging.

According to findings from hiring platform Greenhouse, around one in five job listings on its platform aren’t genuine openings at all.

Its analysis found that between 18% and 22% of jobs advertised in 2024 were actually “ghost jobs” or “phantom roles” that companies had no real intention of filling.

Moreover, roughly 70% of companies on its platform were found to be guilty of posting at least one ghost job during the second quarter of 2024, while 15% did so on a regular basis.

These companies mostly came from the construction, arts, food services, and legal industries.

Horrified by the results, Greenhouse president and co-founder Jon Stross said the situation was “kind of a horror show.”

“The job market has become more soul-crushing than ever,” he told The Wall Street Journal.

Online career platform Resume Builder also carried out a survey to find out why employers post fake job ads in the first place.

More than 60% of respondents admitted that one reason was to make existing employees believe help was on the way and that their workload would eventually be reduced.

Perhaps even more concerning, 62% said they posted fake openings to make employees “feel replaceable.”

This practice has drawn plenty of criticism online. Back in 2024, a man from Singapore questioned how these companies can be held liable for wasting job seekers’ time. 

He said, “What’s stopping companies from doing these? Do we have any governing body that actually enforces and holds companies accountable? How can genuine job-hunters protect themselves from these highly unethical practices?”

Read more: Singaporean raises concerns over “ghost job” postings, unethical hiring practices