One in Five Job Postings Is a Ghost. Someone in Singapore Asked Why.

A Singaporean jobseeker's post on r/askSingapore went viral this week after describing a now-familiar pattern: multiple interview rounds, case studies, lengthy conversations with hiring managers, then nothing. No hire. No rejection. The role stays open indefinitely. The post triggered a wave of shared experiences — six-month contract roles still being advertised a year later, headhunters re-pitching the same positions month after month. Research firm Greenhouse estimates 18 to 22 percent of all online job listings are ghost jobs. In Singapore, Reddit commenters pointed to a possible motive: companies posting fake listings to satisfy fair-consideration requirements before hiring foreign talent on Employment Passes. "They have to 'interview' local candidates for at least one month," one user explained, "and show proof before they can hire their ideal foreign candidate."