For many job seekers, silence has become the loudest answer. A new report from pre-employment testing firm Criteria finds that 53% of candidates say they were ignored by employers in the past year, the highest level in three years and a stark sign of how broken the hiring process has become.

One applicant’s experience has resonated widely online. After applying for a marketing coordinator role, they heard nothing for months, moved to a new city, and started a different job. Nearly a year later, an email finally arrived: a formal rejection. The candidate, who shared the story on Reddit, described the belated message as “the closure I didn’t know I needed.”

Stories like this are increasingly common as artificial intelligence reshapes both sides of the hiring equation. Candidates now use AI tools to generate polished résumés and tailored cover letters at scale, allowing them to apply to dozens or even hundreds of roles in a single sitting. On the other side, recruiters are leaning on automated systems to sift through the flood of applications.

The result, according to Criteria CEO Josh Millet, is a breakdown in basic communication. Recruiters are inundated, screening methods are less reliable, and candidates are left in limbo. When every résumé looks optimized and every cover letter sounds eerily similar, hiring teams struggle to distinguish genuine fit from algorithmic gloss.

Compounding the frustration is the rise of so-called ghost jobs. In a separate survey by MyPerfectResume, 81% of recruiters acknowledged that their companies post roles that are not actually open or have already been filled. These listings are often used to gauge the talent market, collect résumés for future needs, or simply project an image of growth.

For job seekers, the effect is corrosive. They invest hours tailoring applications, only to discover that many positions may never have been real opportunities. The combination of ghost jobs and ghosting employers erodes trust in the labor market and fuels anxiety, especially for those already facing financial pressure.

Experts say the fix is not more automation but more accountability. Clearer job postings, realistic timelines, and simple status updates could restore a measure of dignity to the process. Until then, millions of candidates will keep refreshing their inboxes, waiting for replies that may never come.