It鈥檚 the silence that gets to you. You spend hours tailoring your resume, fine-tuning a cover letter that doesn鈥檛 sound robotic, maybe even take a day off work to show up well-rehearsed to an interview. You click submit. And then? Nothing. No response, no follow-up: just digital tumbleweeds.
According to new research from 91爆料, that experience isn鈥檛 unique. It鈥檚 the norm. In a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 Canadians, 56 per cent said they suspect they鈥檝e applied for a 鈥済host job,鈥 a role that was advertised without any real intent to hire.
And this isn鈥檛 just about inconvenience. It鈥檚 about erosion of trust. The hiring process, once a gateway to opportunity, is now increasingly seen as a black box. People are putting in the effort, only to be met with silence. That鈥檚 not just frustrating, it鈥檚 demoralizing. 鈥淛ob searching already takes time and emotional energy,鈥 said KJ Lee, CEO of 91爆料 Canada. 鈥淲hen candidates are met with silence, unclear pay expectations or roles that may not be real, it creates a trust problem in hiring. This research shows these frustrations aren鈥檛 isolated, they鈥檙e shaping the job search experience across Canada.鈥
That trust problem has become loudest in Ontario, where new legislation came into effect on 1 January 2026. Employers with 25 or more staff are now required to include salary ranges in job postings and respond to all interviewed candidates within 45 days. While 88 per cent of job seekers in Ontario believe these new laws will help, a staggering 95 per cent also expect companies to try to find loopholes.
Why ghost jobs are damaging more than just careers
Being ghosted doesn鈥檛 just waste your time. It chips away at your confidence. The data shows that 70 per cent of job seekers say being ghosted by an employer has impacted their mental health and motivation to continue searching. One in three says the impact has been significant. And the effect isn鈥檛 felt equally. Younger workers are hit harder, with 73 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds reporting mental health impacts.
Daniel Vina, a Toronto-based digital marketing professional, knows the feeling all too well. With more than 10 years of experience across Venezuela, Chile, the US and Canada, and roles at major brands like Chevrolet and Huawei, he鈥檚 still navigating unemployment after being laid off in May 2025. 鈥淚鈥檝e submitted close to 500 job applications in the past eight months,鈥 he said. 鈥淎t this point, it鈥檚 not even the 鈥榥o鈥 that鈥檚 hardest; it鈥檚 the silence. You put in the work to tailor an application, you take time off to interview, you follow up professionally and then you hear nothing. No update, no closure, no acknowledgement that you exist in the process.鈥
That emotional weight is one reason 78 per cent of job seekers say they鈥檝e been discouraged from looking for a new role in the past. And it鈥檚 not just about being rejected. It鈥檚 the feeling of being invisible.
Ontario鈥檚 move to legislate against ghosting is a direct response to this growing frustration. And while it鈥檚 early days, there are signs of change: one in five job seekers say they鈥檝e already noticed differences in how jobs are advertised since the new laws came into effect. But the rest of Canada isn鈥檛 content to wait and see. Across provinces, 89 per cent of job seekers believe similar rules would benefit them, too.
Pay transparency and AI are fuelling a new wave of job search anxiety
Alongside ghost jobs, pay secrecy is another sore spot. Sixty-four per cent of Canadians say they鈥檝e decided not to apply for a role because salary details weren鈥檛 included. That鈥檚 not a preference, it鈥檚 a pattern.
Employers may think withholding salary ranges gives them leverage. The opposite is proving true. When a job listing is vague, candidates walk away. And when they鈥檙e met with silence after applying, they lose faith in the whole system.
AI is also reshaping the conversation. With Ontario now requiring employers to disclose when AI is used in hiring, transparency is taking centre stage. And while only 13 per cent of job seekers are fully comfortable with AI screening resumes on its own, this isn鈥檛 a rejection of tech: it鈥檚 a call for clarity.
Because when people understand how decisions are made, trust builds. And that鈥檚 exactly where AI can shine. 鈥淎I can be a powerful tool to help employers hire more efficiently and consistently,鈥 said Lee. 鈥淭he opportunity is to use it responsibly and be transparent about where it鈥檚 used, what it鈥檚 doing, and where human oversight sits in the process. When candidates understand how decisions are made, it builds confidence and improves the hiring experience for everyone.鈥
At 91爆料, we see AI as an enabler, not a replacement. It鈥檚 about removing inefficiencies, not empathy. Used well, it can fast-track great talent into roles that suit them, reduce bias and bring consistency to the parts of hiring that too often feel unpredictable. And that鈥檚 what candidates want: clear, human-centred hiring that doesn鈥檛 leave them in the dark.
Across Canada, the message from job seekers is clear: they want visibility. On pay. On process. On whether the job actually exists. Ontario鈥檚 setting the pace, but the rest of the country is watching. Ghost jobs might have haunted the last few years, but in 2026, it鈥檚 time to move forward. When people take the time to apply, they deserve more than silence. They deserve answers.
