Unemployment in Sweden has continued to increase even in 2025. In January, 380 580 people were enrolled as unemployed at the Employment Service.
Being a job seeker can feel frustrating, not least when the applications are answered with no or silence.
But sometimes the explanation for that denial email response is in fact that no one got the job.
“A ghost job is a job ad that does not contain a real job, or that has already been appointed,” says Jenny Söderholm, product manager for Location Bank, which belongs to the Employment Service.
Hard to measure
An analysis made by the US The Greenhouse recruitment platform Shows that between 18-22 percent of all jobs that are posted with them are ghost jobs-thus about every fifth ad.
The Employment Service is aware that ghost jobs occur, and this is not a new phenomenon. However, they do not make any statistics on how widespread it is.
– Ghost jobs are not always easy to identify, because it is about not having the intention to hire someone and it can be difficult for us to see it, says Jenny Söderholm.
The ads are reviewed
Daily, ads are captured by the place bank that potentially violates The Employment Service’s advertising terms. Of these, about half are unpublished, and some of them – albeit unclear exactly how many – are ghost jobs, says Jenny Söderholm.
How, then, should you think as a job seeker?
– It is clear that you can feel a little beaten when you do not get an answer, or get a denial answer. But the very several companies are still serious and have jobs to offer, says Jenny Söderholm.
Learn to recognize suspected ghost jobs and hear why employers post ghost ads in the clip above.