Applicants say it's OK for them to 'ghost' employers but not the other way around

More than 40% of 507 recent full-time hires said it's reasonable for job seekers to "ghost," or fail to communicate with, employers, in a new Clutch survey, "What Causes Workplace Ghosting?" But more than 35% of respondents think it's "very unreasonable" for employers to ghost job seekers. Clutch said that ghosting has become commonplace in the recruiting process because of the tough competition for talent in today's tight labor market. Candidates will begin ghosting hiring managers when they accept another job offer (30%), when they decide the role isn't the right fit (19%) or when they don't hear back from a company (23%), Clutch said. Survey results also showed that of the job seekers who approved of ghosting, nearly half believe it's reasonable to ghost an employer early on in the interview process. More than a third of respondents said that the last employer to reject them didn't give them a response at all. Of those who did receive a rejection, 21% were rejected in a phone call and another 13% received a personalized email giving them the bad news. Clutch said that employers that don't communicate with job seekers and candidates send a message that they approve of ghosting.