The Ghost-Job Index
Between 18% and 22% of active job postings in 2026 never hire anyone. They are reposted evergreen listings, roles already filled internally, or frozen reqs left online. The Ghost-Job Index quantifies the problem and shows how to keep your applications off dead listings.
The 2026 numbers
Ranges synthesize publicly reported ghost-job prevalence with our own posting-freshness signals. See methodology below.
The 60-second ghost-job test
- How old is the posting? 30+ days with no update is a red flag.
- Are there many near-identical openings from the same company?
- Is the description vague with no team, manager, or scope?
- Has the recruiter been active recently on LinkedIn?
- Is it an ‘always hiring’ evergreen req?
Three or more yeses? Treat it as a likely ghost.
We filter ghosts for you
Jobeezy reads every posting, skips the ones that never hire, and applies for you through the employer’s real hiring system — so your effort lands on roles that actually fill.
Apply in your browser — freeMethodology
The Ghost-Job Index combines publicly reported ghost-job prevalence (multiple 2024–2026 labor-market analyses placing the figure at roughly one in five active listings) with Jobeezy’s own posting-freshness signals: repost frequency, time-since-last-update, and recruiter-activity decay. Figures are presented as ranges and refreshed as data accrues.
FAQ
What is a ghost job?
A ghost job is a posting that is publicly listed but is not actively being filled — the role may already be filled internally, kept up to build a résumé pipeline, or left online after the req was frozen. Estimates put 18–22% of active 2026 listings in this bucket.
How can I tell if a job posting is a ghost job?
Check the posting age and repost history, whether the company has many near-identical openings, and whether the recruiter has recent activity. Postings live 30+ days with no updates, vague descriptions, and ‘always hiring’ evergreen reqs are the strongest signals.
Does applying to ghost jobs hurt me?
It mostly wastes your time and skews your response-rate expectations. The fix is to filter them out before you apply — which is exactly what Jobeezy does, so your effort goes to roles that actually hire.