Business
Ghosting employers is a growing Gen Z trend in today’s job market
The Wall Street Journal Free Expression associate editor Mary Julia Koch joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss why Gen Z is delaying major life milestones, ghosting employers and turning to flip phones to unplug from social media.
Young workers are increasingly bringing a dating-era habit into the workplace: ghosting.
As employers navigate a slower hiring market, some hiring managers say candidates are accepting job offers, failing to complete paperwork or simply never showing up for their first day, raising new concerns about professionalism.
The Wall Street Journal Free Expression Associate Editor Mary Julia Koch joined “Varney & Co.” to discuss why the trend appears to be gaining traction among Gen Z and what broader economic and cultural forces may be shaping young adults’ behavior.
Economic pressures and changing workplace norms are reshaping how many Gen Z workers approach their careers. (AndreyPopov / Getty Images)
Koch said the same generation delaying traditional milestones is also entering a difficult job market after years of economic disruption. She pointed to housing affordability challenges and inflation as factors that have left many young adults feeling discouraged.
‘Varney & Co.’ host Stuart Varney and WSJ Free Expression associate editor Mary Julia Koch discuss how Gen Z relies on AI to draft text messages, dating app profiles, and even social conversation talking points.
“There have been huge economic pressures, and especially among a generation that was of prime home-buying age during the pandemic, they didn’t hit that benchmark,” Koch said. “And I think it’s left many young people feeling that the system is rigged against them, that they’ve been locked out of the American dream.”
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When it comes to ghosting employers, Koch suggested the behavior reflects how many Gen Z workers communicate.
The Wall Street Journal Free Expression associate editor Mary Julia Koch joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss the rise of Gen Z’s ‘loud budgeting’ trend, why young Americans are drinking less and how AI fears are shaping financial habits.
The trend appears to be more common than many employers may realize. According to a Resume.org survey, 54% of hiring managers have been ghosted by Gen Z candidates after extending a formal job offer.
“Ghosting is a thing you do over text,” Koch said. “It’s such a classically Gen Z behavior now entering the job search, which in today’s low-hire, low-fire job market, you probably don’t wanna be in the wrong set of a hiring manager. You would at least give them an email response.”
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Koch also argued that growing up online has made face-to-face interactions more intimidating for some young people, adding that interviews can be especially stressful for a generation accustomed to communicating through screens.
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