Ghost jobs are unethical. Let’s call them out.
The Teacher Training Lab condemns the practice of companies & institutions deliberately advertising jobs that don't exist, and that they have no intention of filling. Is it time to name and shame?
There’s been an explosion of ghost jobs worldwide in all industries and sectors, including in education. Both recruitment firms and businesses advertise fake jobs, and the trend is escalating.
Whether posting non-existent jobs to boost shareholder confidence, boost SEOs and algorithms, create an impression of a thriving organisation, collect applicant data, or “fishing” to see what’s out there, it wastes our time and psychologically impacts people eager to work.
This (un)employment trend is manipulative and dishonest, reflecting poorly on the Human Resources profession in its entirety, and on any business under whose banner these “jobs” have been circulated.
Petitions for legislative interventions regarding ghost jobs are gaining traction in many countries. The practice is cruel and damages society at large.
In South Africa, the Consumer Protection Act taken together with the Labour Relations Act could theoretically support a grievance, or potentially a case, but it remains to be seen. We hope employers are soon held to account for stringing jobseekers along with such callous disregard.
Our labour laws exist to level the imbalance of power between employers and workers, thereby ensuring fairness, as well as upholding the dignity and constitutional rights of all concerned. Consumer protection encompasses the prohibition of “certain unfair marketing and business practices” with the purpose of protecting consumers from “deceptive, misleading, unfair or fraudulent conduct”.
Surely, repetitively circulating fake jobs is a transgression of our rights as consumers to “quality information” necessary to make “informed choices”. Such as, whether or not we upload a CV and write a Covering Letter.
The use of sophisticated technology, particularly AI, in recruitment in general, and especially in abusive practices such as ghost jobs, is making it virtually impossible for jobseekers to participate in the labour market with any leverage or safety-net. This warrants pushback.
South Africans are entitled to fair labour practices as set out in the LRA and its amendments. The purpose of the Act is, “to advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and the democratisation of the workplace”. Codes of Good Practice regulate Employment Equity in the recruitment and selection process. One must question whether ghost jobs violate such Codes and the aforementioned Acts.
The current job market is enough of a horror, without adding phantoms to it. Scam jobs are a menace as it is. Ghost jobs are “legitimate” in the sense that organisations put them out, not scammers. It helps no one to conflate the two phenomena. They must be differentiated to be confronted.
The labour force consists of human beings. Toying with peoples’ careers and income is unconscionable.
If it is discovered and verified that schools are advertising posts that are a sham, we will call it out. Teachers, like any prospective employee, apply for jobs in good faith. They apply with hope for success. They trust that if they didn’t get a reply, a worthier candidate did. To make foolery of someone’s earnest job search is not acceptable.
Is baiting the unemployed with the false promise of a job opening, legal? We certainly doubt it.
Sources and Resources:
Employment Equity Act: Code of Good Practice
Consumer Goods and Services Ombud
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration
Jacqui Aires is an experienced educator and the founder of the Teacher Training Lab. Drawing attention to unfair workplace practices is an important part of teacher training and support, and of social and economic justice. If you have any comments or corrections on this topic, or any others raised in TTL blog posts, email Jacqui at: www.teachertraininglab@gmail.com.