Greenhouse's data on silent rejections is not new. Its December 2024 research found 61% of U.S. job seekers were ghosted after an interview, up nine percentage points from April 2024. Its 2025 workforce report put the U.S. figure at 63%. Greenhouse also reports that 18–22% of jobs posted on its platform are ghost jobs in any given quarter. The company blames an "AI doom loop": employers screen with AI, which pushes applicants to send AI-optimized applications, which employers then struggle to process. Fast Company reports that employers swamped by similar-looking applications may not have time to send formal rejections. The UK and Ireland version of the research found 47% of candidates got no response after an interview, so the problem is not confined to the U.S. Greenhouse chief people officer Sharawn Tipton put it simply: "neither side thinks hiring is working."
The report matters because it measures both sides of a broken process. Employers say qualified candidates are harder to find, while applicants work harder than ever. Among U.S. respondents, 77% used AI in their search over the past year, and 60% have changed or considered changing how they write so their applications don't read as AI-generated. Attorneys advising employers should watch for disclosure rules on AI use in hiring, since the survey shows strong candidate demand for them, even though no such requirement is currently tied to this report. Employers facing candidate complaints about silence after interviews should review their rejection notice practices now.