There’s some good news for struggling Gen Z job applicants who are chasing recruiters for an answer: the era of ghosting may slowly be coming to an end. In Canada, at least.
Viral videos from job-seekers are circulating all over TikTok, and candidates are all commiserating on one thing: they’re burnt out from a tough white-collar job market, before even getting started with their careers. Frustrated Gen Zers are showing off their spreadsheets, showcasing their hundreds of applications, and airing out that they’re going through several interview rounds just to end up getting ghosted. This viral video of a job-hunter showing her rejections even racked up over a million views.
But there may be some hope going forward for the generation that’s knocking out hundreds of applications with AI—if they’re in Canada.
Starting January 1, companies in Ontario with at least 25 employees will be forced to inform candidates about their hiring status within 45 days of their interview, or the last interview if there were multiple. Employers also will have to disclose whether a vacancy is actively being filled and whether AI is being used to screen and select candidates.
Some states in the U.S. have similarly attempted to pass legislation on ghosting and ghost jobs. In 2024, a New Jersey state legislator announced that it would fine employers up to $5,000 for failing to give candidates an estimated timeline for when a vacancy will be filled, and remove job listings within two weeks of filling the role. The proposed bill also requires companies to disclose when ads are posted for roles that don’t exist. But the New Jersey Business and Industry Association opposed the bill on behalf of employers on the grounds of higher costs and “impracticality.”
9 out of 10 workers say they’ve been ghosted—here’s why it’s happening
A poll found that nine out of 10 workers say they’ve been ghosted by recruiters, with a majority of employees responding that they would rather hear anything than nothing at all. A separate Glassdoor study found that around 27% of applicants never even heard back after completing a final round interview.
They are being left in the dark as to why they’re getting ghosted so often—but Anna Papalia, career influencer and author of Interviewology, tells Fortune that the reason it’s so rampant is that nobody is holding recruiters accountable.
Having previously worked as a director of talent acquisition for Conner Strong and Buckelew, she says hiring managers are too scared to tell applicants they didn’t get the gig, and overall, employers have the upper hand in today’s job market.
“We need this law. We need it in America. We need it everywhere,” Papalia says. “They’d rather breadcrumb [applicants] and play these mind games, or they just truly lack any courage or bravery.”
Papalia compared applying for work in a job-seeker’s market to selling a house in a time of low or high demand. Since there’s a surplus of applicants on the market, the chances of job-seekers landing their dream role becomes increasingly more difficult. In the meantime, her advice is to apply to as many jobs as possible.
“If you’re selling a house in a seller’s market, you don’t do anything at your house, and you’ll get 40 offers,” Papalia continues. “If you’re selling it in a buyer’s market, you have to get it staged, you have to get it repainted, and you have to make it the best it could possibly be.”
Her advice for Gen Z? Don’t believe anything a company says until they make you an offer— even when they say things like “we’re putting an offer together” or “you’re our number one applicant.”
Ghosting could be damaging to employers
Not only does ghosting discourage applicants in the short term, but it could damage the company’s reputation in the future.
A study found that 80% of job-seekers would not consider applying to a role at the same company that did not update them on the status of their application.
“When you are treated really well in an interview process, you tell your friends and family you gain a certain respect for that organization,” Papalia says.
“When you’re ghosted and when you’re treated like you’re disposable, you feel like sh–t, and that company’s reputation is then on the line. And right now, companies aren’t thinking very deeply about how they treat their candidates, how it really affects people.”
