Eric Thompson grew so frustrated with ghost jobs that he created an advocacy group to propose federal legislation banning the practice.
When Eric Thompson lost his job in October 2024 and started looking for a new one, he began a drawn-out battle with something many job seekers have come to know too well: the dreaded ghost job.to openings and never hearing back.
Could it be all the roles he was submitting to weren't actually real? Ghost jobs refer to a practice where businesses post an opening without a specific intent to hire from the ad. Companies have different reasons for doing this, like if they're constantly hiring to fill multiple vacancies with that title, to collect and store resumes for a future need, or to signal to investors that they're growing faster than they really are. Some 17% of all job posts on Greenhouse in the second quarter of 2025 were for roles the business never intended to actually fill, according to data provided to CNBC Make It.For job seekers, it all boils down to being a time-consuming headache. "There's nothing illegal about posting a job, currently, and never filling it," says Thompson, a network engineering leader in Warrenton, Virginia. Not to mention, it's "really hard to prove, and so that's one of the reasons that legally, it's been kind of this gray area." As Thompson researched more into the phenomenon, he connected with former colleagues and professional connections across the country experiencing the same thing. Together, the eight of them decided to form the TJAAA working group to spearhead efforts for federal legislation to officially ban businesses from posting ghost jobs.If it's being offered internally with preference to current employees The number of times the position has been posted in the last two years, and other factors, according to the draft language.Eric ThompsonIt also sets guidelines for how long a post is required to be up and how long the submission period can be before applications can be reviewed. The proposed legislation applies to businesses with more than 50 employees, and violators can be fined a minimum of $2,500 for each infraction. The proposal provides a framework at the federal level, Thompson says, because state-level policies won't apply to employers who post listings across multiple states, or who use third-party platforms that operate beyond state borders.Thompson says he spends 20 to 30 hours per week on his advocacy efforts and doing legislative outreach. So far, he says he's had close to 30 meetings with Congressional staffers working with elected officials on both sides of the aisle. "We have had a lot of people say, 'We would support this if it came to the floor. However, we are too busy right now to make this a priority,'" Thompson says.Thompson says he and his TJAAA advocates are now focused on "driving that grassroots campaign to get people to make it a priority for their legislators to sponsor it to come to the floor."requiring them to inform job applicants about the status of their candidacy in a timely fashion and also seeks to eliminate theFor now, Thompson's advocacy efforts go toward learning what he can about the legislative process and encouraging job-seekers to speak up about their experiences. He says he's never done this kind of work before and is learning as he goes. "It's a problem a lot of people know about," Thompson says. "But once people find a job, they forget about it."How to Build a Standout Personal Brand: Online, In Person, and At Work . Learn from three expert instructors how to showcase your skills, build a stellar reputation, and create a digital presence that AI can't replicate. Sign up today with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off the regular course price of $67 . Offer valid July 22, 2025, through September 2, 2025.
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