Nearly 86% of UK jobseekers have missed a job interview without notice, according to Indeed.
According to a UK survey of 1,500 companies and employed people, 75% of employees admitted to using ghosting during the previous year, indicating that it has become a common practice in the hiring process.
Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely to ghost a prospective job, with 79% engaging in the behavior. Gen Z displays confidence in ghosting, with 93% skipping interviews and 87% missing their first day of work, Millennials tend to regret their actions.
Meanwhile, over half (56%) of Gen Zers intend to ghost again, with this percentage decreasing as they age. They cite feeling empowered in their professional choices as a result of ghosting (18%) and having had unpleasant employee experiences with potential employers (14%), as the reasons for their decision.
But according to the report, ghosting can be seen in all age groups, with 43% of participants intending to ghost in some capacity going forward.
The problem is made worse by the cost of living crises since salary plays a big role in jobseeker ghosting. Employee preferences and employer perceptions differ; only a small percentage of employers view pay increases as a deterrent to ghosting. Workers feel that greater compensation, better perks, and more pay transparency could help avoid ghosting.
Indeed UK head of talent intelligence Danny Stacy says: “It’s clear that ghosting has become an unwelcome phenomenon for employers, and is having an impact on the time, productivity and wellbeing of hiring teams. Reasons for ghosting may differ between generations, as we’ve seen in the differing perspectives on the practice between Millenials and Gen Z.
“However, the findings highlight clear ways businesses can do their part to prevent candidates of all kinds from abruptly leaving the hiring process. Workers point to being ghosted by employers as a reason to be able to do the same, so businesses have a clear directive to keep up communication on their end during the hiring process, even if it’s to let a candidate know they haven’t been successful for the role.
“It’s also clear that the financial offer is the biggest carrot for employers trying to attract talent, with pay, benefits and other factors that support the rise in cost-of-living likely to prevent a jobseeker from ghosting. Of course, not all businesses will be in the position to increase their offer, but being transparent about the financial package from the outset is likely to prevent jobseekers from ghosting further along the hiring process.”
