If you’re on the hunt for work, it isn’t the best time to be searching. One of the reasons for this is ‘ghost listings,’ which are fake job posts made by companies to garner attention. These listings are meant to get people to send in resumes that may not be used until many months or years later. On top of that, companies use these listings to signal growth within their company. But the point is, they hurt those out there seeking job opportunities immediately. Now, a California woman is speaking up about fake jobs and how they hurt Americans.
Jillian (@jilliandoesbranding) has some alarming news for those searching for jobs across America. She says that, in December alone, 6.5 million job listings were made. That sounds like great news, right? Not really. Only 181,000 jobs were actually created in the U.S. in the entirety of 2025. Jillian says this is an “alarmingly low” number of jobs, seeing as we have millions of unemployed people within our country.
Jillian says the jobs are apparently out there. She says, “They’re on Indeed and LinkedIn and all of the job boards.” So, why are there 6.8 million job postings in one month even though only 181,000 jobs were created last year? Even though they’re illegal, fake job postings are being put out there by employers. On top of that, job creation is at an all-time low even though we have so many people unemployed who need the support.
2025 was one of the first years in a long time where job creation was at its lowest and it’s not feasible for everybody unemployed to find work. She also adds that “the amount of time from first apply to hire has extended over the year.” It’s now taking an average of 86 days for offer letters to go out to potential hires. This means they’re waiting over two months to receive a job offer. That’s two months without income for so many people and it’s just not feasible. Jillian adds that people want to work. She goes on to say, “Job seekers are not lazy, they are not bad at applying, they are not being dramatic.”
One commenter shared that they went through this daunting process. They stated, “I’ve literally been told by employers ‘yeah we’re not hiring we’re just gathering resumes’ like what????” Another commenter pointed out, “We need to start calling our senators about ghost jobs and telling them that we want laws passed to make them illegal or companies being held accountable.”
It’s hard out there. Jillian says that job seekers are struggling now more than ever. She says it’s an “unruly market” and I’m sure so many individuals out there searching for jobs agree with her. In the meantime, these same individuals face losing their homes and being unable to afford groceries. Their needs aren’t being met and things need to change.
