Potential hires have adopted a technique that is leaving many companies unhappy: ghosting. The concept is not relatively new, as a survey from 2019 found that roughly 83% of employers had experienced applicants disappearing before their start date. The study also noted that 69% said ghosting, in general, started two years prior.

The pandemic has caused the job market to continuously shift, and many say it is employees who now hold the upper hand in job negotiations. One company representative noted that ghosting is at an all-new high and is most commonly seen in jobs related to manufacturing, restaurant, airline, and cleaning jobs. 

Rob Bralow, the owner of BLVD Wine Bar in New York City, has been ghosted several times by potential applicants, and roughly 90% of the applicants he’s had didn’t even show up for an interview.

Other reports indicate that the rise in no-shows could be an expression of job seekers having more confidence in their ability to find a job, rather than the laziness stereotype that has been associated with this practice. Plus, as more young professionals and graduates enter the workforce following the Great Retirement, their priorities focus more on mental wellness, good company culture, PTO, and being treated fairly.

Polls and studies have indicated that Generation Z also looks for positions that offer flexibility, work/life balance, more non-traditional employee benefits, financial wellness programs, and more. To old generations, it may look or feel like laziness, but it has been identified that they are more discerning about their needs in the workplace. “The pandemic has only exacerbated that where they realize, ‘Oh, we don’t have to work the number of hours that our parents worked at their early jobs in order to be efficient,” Dr. Duffy said on “Banfield.” Duffy also noted higher levels of anxiety becoming more prevalent in younger people that they need to overcome, “in order to just get them in the space where they learn how competent and resilient they actually are.” Therapist Darby Fox says it’s not a surprise that mental health awareness ranks high for younger people when it comes to a priority. “We’ve created an environment where it’s okay to say I have anxiety, or I could be depressed.” 

Some professionals believe due to the Great Recession, there are too many options for job seekers in today’s market. Between new record highs of inflation and other economic factors, studies show employers adding at least 400,000 jobs for the past twelve months, and it goes through all generations. All job seekers have confidence that is extremely high and makes choices right away to find and start a job. Instead of taking the time to research, they become enthusiastic about a position that they might know little about. 

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