The Rise of AI and Ghost Jobs in the UK Job Market
An article published in The Guardian highlights challenges facing job seekers in the UK amid evolving hiring practices and the prevalence of so-called 'ghost jobs'. The author shares a personal perspective as part of the 5% of Brits who remain unemployed after six months of job hunting.
In 2024, approximately 40% of company job advertisements were identified as ‘ghost jobs’—positions that do not actually exist but are posted to project company growth. Despite concerns, enforcement efforts by the Advertising Standards Authority have been limited.
The hiring process increasingly relies on artificial intelligence to filter applications, though there is little hard data on the extent of its adoption. Previous examples, such as Amazon’s AI recruitment tool, demonstrated bias that led to its eventual abandonment.
An Atlantic article cited in the piece notes a cyclical dynamic where young applicants use ChatGPT to craft applications while human resources departments deploy AI to read them. This bot-driven process has resulted in few candidates securing interviews or hires.
AI is also becoming involved in conducting interviews and evaluating candidates for often ill-defined, high-pressure roles. The article uses the fictional example of a firm named Flopsies to illustrate the emergence of mechanized, opaque hiring expectations.
The piece argues that middle-class jobs have transformed into rare, mechanized 'franken-jobs', making it difficult even for experienced workers to secure human interviews. Typically, one in five applications receive rejection emails citing a high volume of 'quality applicants'.
This evolving job market dynamic portrays a challenging landscape where technology and misleading job listings complicate the already difficult task of securing meaningful employment.
