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With 2025 around the corner, many workers, both employed and those seeking jobs, face apprehension about entering a new year in a difficult and uncertain job market. MyPerfectResume’s 2025 State of the Workforce Report found that many workers are wary of “ghost” job postings, fear human resources, and feel growing tension surrounding return-to-office (RTO) policies.
According to the report, 81% of recruiters admitted that their companies post “ghost” jobs, or positions that are either fake or already filled. Even more shocking – 36% of recruiters say about a quarter of the jobs they post are ghost jobs and 21.5% say the same about half of their organizations’ job postings.
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Recruiters say the primary motivations for posting ghost jobs include to maintain a presence on job boards even when they aren’t hiring (38%), to assess the effectiveness of their job descriptions (36%), to build a talent pool for the future (26%), or to gain insights into the job market and competitors. Additionally concerning, the report found that 86% of employees surveyed said they fear human resources and 85% said they hesitate to approach HR to discuss work-related issues.
The top reasons employees said they avoid HR included lack of approachability (37%), fear of repercussions (31%), and lack of trust in confidentiality (37%). When workers did decide to report an issue to HR, the report found that 90% of workers felt they didn’t adequately address it.
Finally, the report found that many workers and employers are feeling increased tensions due to RTO mandates in the coming year. Thirty-six percent of employees who responded say there is no perk their company could offer to justify a full-time office return. With 88% of employees reporting they are currently experiencing burnout and 1 in 5 saying they think about quitting their job every day – organizations will need to rethink best practices heading into 2025.
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