More than one in four job listings on U.S. employers’ own career sites has been open for over 90 days, according to Unlisted’s September 2026 Ghost Jobs Report. The analysis of 607,050 open postings found a median listing age of 36 days, with hospitality carrying the highest share of stale openings and healthcare the lowest.
Key Takeaways
- Unlisted measured 607,050 open postings across 15 applicant tracking systems, reading each listing directly from the employer’s own careers site.
- Hospitality had the largest stale share, with 43.9% of postings open more than 90 days and a median age of 65 days.
- Healthcare turned over fastest, with only 19.7% of postings open longer than 90 days.
- Stale rates varied sharply by hiring platform, from 48.2% of postings on Lever boards to 17.2% on Workday.
- Posting age was based on the date each employer published the listing, which was available for 95.0% of postings.
- The figures were computed September 23, 2026, from a sweep that began August 24, a 29-day window.
How the Ghost Jobs Report Measured Stale Listings
Unlisted’s September report stands apart from many earlier ghost-job studies because of where it looked. Rather than scraping third-party job boards, where listings can be reposted, duplicated or left up long after a role closes, the analysis read postings directly from employers’ own careers pages across 15 applicant tracking systems. Those are the systems companies use to publish openings and manage applicants.
The report dated each listing using the publication date the employer supplied, which covered 95% of the sample. Three platforms, Pinpoint, Personio and Y Combinator’s job board, do not publish posting dates, so their listings could not be aged. Unlisted also notes that its figures on closures are limited by the 29-day collection window, a caveat worth keeping in mind when reading the results.
That methodology matters for how the findings should be read. A listing that has been open for 90 days is stale, but it is not automatically fake. Some roles, particularly specialized or senior positions, take months to fill. Others are evergreen postings that companies keep open to collect applications for roles they fill repeatedly. The report measures age, not hiring intent, and that distinction separates a data point from an accusation.
Hospitality and Healthcare Sit at Opposite Ends
The Ghost Jobs Report’s industry breakdown reveals a wide gap. In hospitality, nearly 44% of open postings had been live for more than three months, and the median listing was 65 days old, well above the overall median of 36 days. Healthcare showed the opposite pattern, with fewer than one in five postings crossing the 90-day mark.
Several explanations fit the data. Hospitality employers often run continuous hiring for high-turnover roles, which can leave postings up indefinitely as a standing pipeline. Healthcare employers facing persistent staffing shortages may fill openings quickly and pull listings once a position is covered. Neither explanation is confirmed by the report, but both suggest that industry hiring habits, not just bad-faith postings, shape how long listings stay live.
The Hiring Platform Matters
One of the report’s sharper findings is how much stale rates vary by applicant tracking system. Nearly half of postings on Lever-hosted boards had been open longer than 90 days, compared with about 17% on Workday.
That spread likely reflects differences in who uses each platform and how each system handles expired listings, rather than the quality of the platforms themselves. Some systems close or archive postings automatically after a set period, while others leave that decision to recruiters. For employers, the finding suggests that reviewing default settings on posting expiration is a simple way to keep career pages accurate.
Why Stale Postings Distort the Labor Market Picture
Ghost jobs create problems beyond wasted applications. Job openings are one of the numbers economists and policymakers watch to judge labor demand. When postings linger after roles are filled or put on hold, the job market can look tighter than it is, which complicates decisions for employers setting wages, workers weighing a move and officials reading economic conditions.
The frustration is also changing worker behavior. Many workers facing a slow and uncertain search are choosing to stay put, part of the rise of job hugging among American workers, as the cost of an unproductive job hunt climbs.
Unlisted’s findings add to a growing body of research. A 2025 study by recruiting platform Greenhouse found that at least one in five U.S. job postings is fake or never filled. Separately, Clarify Capital’s February 2026 analysis of 176,268 Indeed listings flagged postings open 30 days or more as potential ghost jobs.
Lawmakers Are Starting to Respond
The issue has moved from job-seeker complaints into policy. In January 2026, a law took effect in Ontario, Canada, requiring employers with at least 25 workers to disclose whether a posted vacancy is actively being filled. In the U.S., several states considered ghost-job legislation in 2026. New York lawmakers passed a bill requiring employers to disclose when they expect an advertised role to be filled, and as of August 2026 it was awaiting the governor’s review.
For job seekers, the practical takeaway from the Ghost Jobs Report is straightforward: a posting’s age is a useful signal. Checking when a role was first published on the employer’s own site, and giving priority to recent listings, can help focus time on openings that are more likely to lead to an interview.
FAQs
What Is a Ghost Job?
A ghost job is a posting that remains listed with no active plan to hire, such as a role that has already been filled, paused or kept open to collect resumes.
What Did Unlisted’s Ghost Jobs Report Find?
The September 2026 report found that 28.3% of 607,050 open listings on employer career sites had been posted for more than 90 days, with a median age of 36 days.
Which Industry Has the Most Stale Job Listings?
Hospitality had the highest share, with 43.9% of postings open longer than 90 days. Healthcare had the lowest at 19.7%.
Does an Old Job Posting Mean the Job Is Fake?
Not necessarily. Some roles take months to fill or are posted continuously for recurring hiring, so age signals staleness rather than confirming a fake listing.
