Many businesses post job openings to "maintain their candidate pool," or prolong the posting period without actually hiring.
The phenomenon of "ghost" job openings in the US.
The US job market, which previously seemed to have an abundance of job openings, has been exposed by new data revealing another layer of instability: "ghost jobs"—job postings with no real intention of hiring.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), since the beginning of 2024, the number of job postings each month has exceeded the number of people hired by more than 2.2 million. In August, the U.S. recorded over 7.2 million open positions but only 5.1 million new hires. Experts say many businesses are posting job openings to "maintain their candidate pool," or prolonging the posting period without actually hiring. The turnover rate has decreased by more than 30% compared to its peak in 2022, indicating that workers are less confident in changing jobs. The hiring bottleneck is wasting candidates' time.
The data gaps caused by the government shutdown have made it even harder for policymakers to assess the market's condition. This is partly due to the U.S. government tightening immigration policies, leading to a labor shortage. Data shows that 88% of applicants lack the right skills, making recruitment for small businesses the most challenging since the pandemic.
A decline in seasonal hiring is a sign that the labor market is weak.
Seasonal hiring reduced by 40%.
Previously, the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicted that seasonal hiring by retailers would plummet to its lowest level since the Great Recession. Companies projected hiring between 265,000 and 365,000 temporary employees this holiday season, a 40% decrease compared to 2024. This reflects companies' efforts to cut tariff costs and tighten budgets.
Consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas also forecasts that seasonal hiring this year will be the lowest since 2009. According to their September 2025 report, only a handful of companies have publicly committed to hiring staff for the holiday season. The firm's senior vice president, Andy Challenger, explains that this decline is primarily due to inflationary pressures and the trend towards automation, along with the replacement of permanent staff rather than hiring large numbers of temporary workers.
Last week, NRF CEO Matt Shay stated that the decline in seasonal hiring is a sign of a weak labor market. He also acknowledged that artificial intelligence (AI) may be playing a crucial role as retailers seek to increase operational efficiency and improve customer service.
Mark Matthews, chief economist at the NRF, suggests that the slowdown in hiring this year may be due to fewer layoffs in the retail sector. Layoffs in October 2025 reached levels comparable to recession-era figures. Recent job cuts from major companies like UPS, Amazon, and Target have pushed the total number of job cuts in 2025 above 1 million.
Meanwhile, executives like Walmart's Doug McMillon have indicated they will keep staff numbers low in the coming years, hoping to optimize efficiency through AI.
Source: https://vtv.vn/bat-on-thi-truong-lao-dong-my-100251118215748129.htm
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