45% of UK Workers on the Hunt: Still Anxious, Still Determined

Job Hunt 2024: A Reality Check

Greenhouse’s latest State of Job Hunting report has dropped a truth bomb: the job market feels like a high‑stakes game of hide‑and‑seek, with some players desperately chasing, and others just watching the body count go up.

White‑Space of Anxiety

Across the UK, US, and Germany, 2,500 workers were surveyed.
In the UK, 45% of folks are on the hunt for a new gig.
Yet a staggering 72% admit they’re feeling the heat of a selective and broken hiring market.

Ghosting and Ghost Jobs

Let’s be real: “hello there, job” with no intention of hiring is a nightmare.

61% of grumpy job seekers have been ghosted after an interview – that’s a jump of 19 percentage points from April.
Historically underrepresented candidates now face 71% ghosting rates, compared with 58% for white counterparts.
More than half (56%) suspect ghost jobs – and a quarter (27%) roll the dice and apply anyway.
Data shows about 18‑22% of all jobs on Greenhouse each quarter are basically “ghost jobs.”
Nearly 69% of job seekers tangle with spam or outright scam listings.

AI: The New Frontline

Because now we’re all playing the AI game to outsmart hiring systems, the battlefield has gotten a lot hotter.

Jon Stross, the co‑founder of Greenhouse, says:

“We’re living in a soul‑crushing era. Every unanswered email or disappearing hiring manager is not just a nuisance for candidates – it’s damaging a company’s reputation and making top talent harder to snatch. And the AI arms race is pushing that chaos even further.”

DE&I: The Good, The Bad, The Salary of a Green Flag

Nearly 49% of candidates say that companies clearly communicating diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) in postings is vital.

<li Only 7% think it’s irrelevant.

<li Over the past months, the number of underrepresented job seekers who view DE&I commitments as essential grew by 36%.

Bias & Mispronunciations: Still a Problem

63%

22‑point

<li Age, gender, and race questions lead the pack at 58%, 41%, and 37% respectively.

<li 60% of candidates have had their names mispronounced; those from historically underrepresented groups suffer higher rates, at 74% vs. 56% for white candidates.

Danielle McConville, VP EMEA at Greenhouse, warns:

“The job market is riddled with systemic inefficiencies and poor candidate experience. Discriminatory practices and communication gaps are all too common. Companies must recognize that the candidate experience can make or break their brand and the success of their talent strategy.”