Employer ghosting, by the numbers
Ghosting is when an employer stops replying to a candidate and never gives an answer. Here is what published research says about how often it happens and why. Every number links to its source.
How common is ghosting?
- 53%
of job seekers were ghosted by an employer in the past year, up from 48 percent in 2025 and 38 percent in 2024. Criteria 2026 Candidate Experience Report, via Fortune, March 2026
Criteria surveyed more than 2,500 job seekers. It sells hiring assessments.
- 4%
of about 6,500 companies contacted every applicant they rejected. Greenhouse data, via Axios, September 2024
Why does it happen?
- 26%
more applications per job on Handshake year over year as of August 2025, while job postings fell more than 16 percent. Handshake, 2026 Workforce Outlook
- 22%
of active job seekers use bots to auto apply. Among Gen Z it is 31 percent. Greenhouse 2025 Workforce and Hiring Report
More applications for fewer openings means more people waiting on every reply.
How students feel
- 62%
of college seniors felt pessimistic about their careers, up from 46 percent two years earlier. Handshake, Class of 2026 report
What response badges leave out
Indeed gives a response badge to employers that answer more than 51 percent of applicants over 30 days, and an automatic rejection email counts as an answer. Indeed Help Center
A badge only shows the good news. Students also need to know who does not answer.
How Heard Back handles it
On Heard Back, every match gives the employer 5 days to reply, and every company's on time reply rate is shown to students in the app. After each semester we plan to publish reply rates from real matches here.