“The trend could be due to the low marginal cost of posting additional job ads and to maintain a pipeline of talents.”
Up to 21% of job ads are for jobs that do not exist, by this estimate. Posting one costs the employer almost nothing and keeps a stack of resumes on file, while the applicant burns hours on cover letters for a role nobody plans to fill. Ghost listings help explain why the Beveridge Curve stopped matching openings to unemployment over the last fifteen years. The vacancy numbers include the ghosts.