The LinkedIn article The Job You Applied For Never Existed is circulating widely, and it has momentum for a reason. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a formal inquiry into LinkedIn over allegations of ghost job postings. Studies estimate that between 18% and 27% of online job listings are fake, stale or posted with no real intention to hire.

That number is alarming. The problem is real. And the frustration job seekers feel is completely justified.

But the conversation happening right now is missing something critical. Ghost jobs are not one thing. Lumping every unfilled posting into the same category oversimplifies a complex recruiting ecosystem, and it risks pointing HR leaders and policymakers toward the wrong solution.

Not every unfilled job is a deception

There is a meaningful difference between a job posting designed to deceive and a job posting that simply reflects how modern recruiting actually works.

Companies recruit ahead of anticipated demand all the time. A growing organization may post a role today for a position it expects to need in 60 to 90 days. They are building a pipeline, not misleading anyone. Other organizations have fully approved openings but are willing to wait for the right candidate rather than filling a seat for the sake of filling it. That is not a ghost job. That is smart hiring.

Business needs also change mid-recruitment cycle. A position that was genuinely open when it was posted may be paused due to a budget shift, a reorg or an internal promotion that happened faster than expected. The posting does not always come down in real time.

These scenarios are fundamentally different from a company intentionally listing a position it has no plans to fill. Treating them as equivalent does not solve the ghost job problem. It obscures it.

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