Tired of being ghosted by HR? Not anymore: This country is making a law to shake up the hiring process

Time of India

08-08-2025

No more 'ghost jobs'
— AdviseUrCareer (@AdviseUrCareer)
Fines for keeping candidates in the dark
A global problem, local solutions
AI hiring tools under scrutiny
If you have ever spent hours perfecting your CV, sat through multiple interview rounds, and then… nothing — you're not alone. Job seekers across the globe are all too familiar with the cold silence that follows an interview, a phenomenon known as HR ghosting . But in Ontario, Canada, that silence may soon be illegal.Starting January 1, 2026, companies with 25 or more employees in the province will be required to respond to job applicants within 45 days of an interview, regardless of whether a hiring decision has been made. The landmark rule, reported by CNBC Make It, aims to curb a frustrating practice that has left nearly half of job seekers hanging without closure.The law also tackles another troubling trend: ghost job postings . These are job ads for roles companies have no intention of filling, often used to collect resumes or create the illusion of growth. Under the new rules, employers must clearly state whether a role is actively being recruited for and disclose if they are using artificial intelligence to screen candidates.'It makes clear that if someone applies to your company and takes the time to interview, you owe them a clear response and a decision,' said Bonnie Dilber, a recruiting leader at software company Zapier, in her interview with CNBC Make It. 'That feels like a minimum expectation. People who apply to jobs deserve to understand what's happening behind the scenes.'Non-compliance won't just hurt a company's reputation — it could cost them up to 100,000 Canadian dollars (around $72,500 USD), according to Bloomberg. First-time offenders, however, may receive warnings or smaller penalties.Data from hiring platform Greenhouse shows just how widespread the issue is: 50% of job seekers report being ghosted after interviews, and 17% of all job listings in the second quarter of 2025 were for positions that companies never intended to fill.The frustration isn't limited to Canada. Lawmakers in the United States are also looking at solutions. New Jersey's proposal would require companies to notify interviewed candidates of decisions, remove filled job listings within two weeks, and label non-existent roles — or face fines of up to $5,000. Kentucky's attempt to pass similar legislation failed, while California's version is currently under committee review.Dilber predicts AI-related hiring regulations might arrive even faster than anti-ghosting laws in other regions. New York City already became the first to ban the use of AI hiring tools without bias audits in 2023. With AI playing a bigger role in screening candidates, transparency could become a central demand from job seekers and lawmakers alike.