Ghost Jobs Cloud the UK Hiring Market and Scotland Is No Exception

9th October 2025

An increasing number of job adverts in Scotland and the wider UK appear to represent "ghost jobs" vacancies that are never filled or possibly never existed yet linger online giving a deceptive view of hiring demand.

While Scottish-specific data on ghost jobs is lacking recent labour market statistics and recruiter testimony suggest the phenomenon is likely significant north of the border frustrating jobseekers and confusing employers alike.

Recent figures from the Scottish Government show that in March 2025 there were 47,605 new online job adverts in Scotland, a rise of 14% compared to March 2024.

The number of new online listings in June 2025 was 50,613, up 9% year-on-year.

These numbers indicate healthy demand for labour, but they may mask how many of the positions advertised lead anywhere. Nominal vacancy levels do not reveal whether roles are active, being recruited for, or simply being used for talent-pooling or brand-building.

There is also a strong signal from Scotland that certain sectors are expanding in advertised roles — particularly green jobs. Scotland stands at 5.6% of all job adverts being for green roles in 2024, significantly higher than the UK average of 3.3%.

But again, growth in advert numbers doesn't necessarily correlate with actual hires: roles might stay unfilled, or adverts might be placed with no further recruiting intent.

While Scotland's government reports and business surveys do not yet provide a breakdown of how many adverts are ghost jobs several recruiters and jobseekers point to large numbers of roles advertised without follow-up.

One recruiter in Glasgow (speaking on condition of anonymity) said, "Often we see dozens of applications for a job advert, but weeks go by without interviews or even responses — for many of those the role may never have been real in the first place."

The scale of unfilled or inactive job adverts has implications for individuals and policy. For jobseekers ghost jobs waste time, drain morale, and make it harder to assess the real likelihood of landing a position.

For businesses and economists, they reduce clarity in labour market signals, making it harder to judge supply and demand, the tightness of skills markets and ultimately to form policy responses that align with real need.

Some suggestions from business analysts in Scotland include requiring job postings to disclose hiring status updates (e.g. “applications closed,” “role filled”), tighter regulation of how long adverts can remain active without action, and better transparency from employers on whether adverts represent immediate hiring or are for prospective planning.

Until more detailed regional data is collected and made public, the true size of Scotland’s ghost job problem remains uncertain.

However given the rise in new online adverts, especially in buoyant sectors and the numerous anecdotal reports from candidates many believe the rate of ghost job adverts in Scotland is likely to be similar to the UK‐wide estimates of 20-35%.