'Ghost Jobs' Could Soon Be Illegal in New York: What Job Seekers Need to Know

What Are Ghost Jobs and Why Are They a Problem?

If you have spent hours tailoring your resume, writing cover letters, and submitting applications only to hear nothing back, you may have fallen victim to one of the most frustrating trends in modern hiring: ghost jobs. Ghost jobs are job listings posted by companies that have no genuine intention of filling the role in the near future — or sometimes ever. They look completely legitimate on the surface, complete with detailed job descriptions, salary ranges, and required qualifications, but they lead applicants nowhere.

The prevalence of ghost jobs has surged in recent years, fueled by the widespread adoption of applicant tracking systems, the low cost of posting jobs online, and a tendency by some companies to maintain a passive pipeline of candidates even when no immediate opening exists. For job seekers, especially those who are unemployed or urgently looking to change careers, this phenomenon can be demoralizing and deeply wasteful of their time and energy.

Studies and surveys have shown that a significant portion of job listings at any given time may fall into this category. Whether employers are collecting resumes "just in case," gauging the talent market, or simply forgetting to remove an old listing after filling a role internally, the result is the same: real people spend real time on applications that were never going to go anywhere.

New York Takes Action: The Ghost Job Bill Explained

In a significant move to address this growing problem, New York state lawmakers passed a bill this month specifically designed to crack down on ghost jobs. If signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, the legislation would introduce new transparency requirements for employers posting job listings in the state — marking one of the first legislative efforts in the United States to directly target deceptive or misleading job postings at scale.

The bill would apply to companies with one hundred or more employees, as well as third-party platforms that host and publish job listings. This means large job boards and major employers would both be held accountable under the new rules, giving the legislation a broad reach across the hiring ecosystem.

Key Requirements Under the Proposed Law

• Hiring timeline disclosure: Employers would be required to state clearly whether they intend to fill a role and, if so, when. Specifically, if the company plans to hire within 90 days, the listing must include the date by which they intend to fill the position.
• Prominent formatting: The law specifies that this disclosure must be written in bold text and in all capital letters, ensuring it cannot be overlooked by applicants scanning a listing.
• Transparency on non-urgent openings: If there is no current opening or the role is unlikely to be filled within 90 days, employers must disclose that as well, rather than allowing a listing to sit without context.
• Timely removal of filled listings: Once a position has been filled, employers would be required to remove the job posting within two weeks. This targets the common scenario where companies forget — or choose not — to take down listings for roles that are no longer available.

Why This Bill Matters for Job Seekers

For the millions of Americans who rely on job boards and employer websites to find work, this kind of legislation represents a meaningful shift in power. Right now, the hiring process is almost entirely controlled by employers, who face little accountability for how they communicate — or fail to communicate — with applicants. Ghost jobs are a symptom of that imbalance.

When job seekers invest time in an application, they deserve at minimum a basic level of honesty about whether an opportunity is real. The psychological toll of the job search process is well documented: rejection, silence, and uncertainty can contribute to anxiety, depression, and diminished self-worth. Ghost jobs amplify all of these stressors by creating false hope and wasting the finite time and emotional energy of people who may already be under significant financial pressure.

By requiring employers to be upfront about their hiring intentions, the New York bill would allow job seekers to make more informed decisions about where to invest their efforts. A candidate who sees that a company has no current opening but is collecting resumes for future consideration can choose whether that is worth their time — rather than applying in the dark and waiting for a response that never comes.

What This Could Mean for Employers and Job Platforms

The bill is not without implications for the business side of hiring. Some employers may push back on the administrative burden of updating job postings within specific timeframes or providing detailed disclosures. For large companies that manage dozens or hundreds of listings at a time, compliance could require new internal processes and oversight.

Third-party job platforms — think large employment websites where most job seekers conduct their searches — would also face new obligations. These platforms would need to either enforce disclosure requirements on employers who list jobs through them or risk their own liability under the law. That could drive meaningful changes to how job listings are structured, verified, and maintained at the platform level.

However, many HR professionals and hiring advocates argue that these requirements are not unreasonable. Keeping job postings accurate and up to date is a basic standard of good hiring practice. The bill simply makes it a legal obligation rather than a voluntary one.

Is New York Setting a National Precedent?

New York has a history of pioneering employment legislation that eventually influences policy in other states and at the federal level. From pay transparency laws requiring salary ranges in job postings to robust worker protection statutes, the state has often served as a testing ground for progressive labor policy. The ghost job bill could follow a similar path.

If Governor Hochul signs the legislation and it proves effective at reducing deceptive job listings without creating undue burdens on employers, other states may move to adopt similar frameworks. There is already growing awareness among lawmakers across the country about the need for greater transparency and accountability in digital hiring practices.

What Job Seekers Can Do Right Now

While the bill works its way through the final stages of the legislative process, job seekers should not wait for legal protections to sharpen their approach to spotting ghost jobs. There are several warning signs worth watching for, including listings with no specific posting date, job descriptions that seem copy-pasted or overly generic, roles that have been listed for months without any updates, and positions at companies that have recently announced layoffs or hiring freezes.

Reaching out directly to a recruiter or hiring manager at a company before or after applying can also help clarify whether an opportunity is genuinely active. Networking and referrals remain among the most reliable ways to find roles where hiring is actually in motion.

That said, the burden of navigating a job market riddled with ghost listings should not fall entirely on applicants. New York's proposed legislation signals a growing recognition that job seekers deserve better — and that employers have a responsibility to be honest about the opportunities they advertise. Whether or not the bill becomes law, the conversation it has sparked is one the entire hiring industry needs to have.