Ghosting is becoming more of a problem this year, say employers in a survey by Indeed. It found that 77% of employers say ghosting became more common in the previous year.

Ghosting happens when one party cuts off all contact with another party without explanation, according to Merriam-Webster.

More than half of employers, 57%, say they had never been ghosted by a candidate prior to the 12 months leading up the survey. That’s up from 54% who said the same in a similar survey in 2022 and 45% who said so in a 2019 survey.

Some job seekers also think ghosting is on the rise, with 46% in another Indeed survey saying they think ghosting has become more common in the past 12 months. And 37% of job seekers say they personally ghosted an employer.

However, both job seekers and employers seem to agree, with roughly three-fourths of both groups saying that ghosting has become entrenched in the hiring process.

With this rapid rise in ghosting, it’s more important than ever to examine the hiring process and address shortcomings, Raj Mukherjee, executive VP of Employer at Indeed, said in a press release.

“Ghosting impacts all parts of the hiring experience,” Mukherjee said.

In a separate survey of job seekers, Indeed found that 59% said they regretted their decision to ghost, up from 32% in a similar survey in 2019. Still, that is not stopping the 62% who said they plan to ghost employers during future job searches.

In addition, a majority of job seekers, 70%, feel it’s “fair” to ghost employers. Indeed reports that may be related 35% of job seekers saying an employer did not acknowledge their applications.

Why do job seekers ghost employers? Employers’ top reasons that job seekers ghost them is different from what job seekers say.

The top five reasons employers cite for why they believe they were ghosted are:

1. Candidate received another job offer
2. Not the right job offer for them
3. Candidate uncomfortable communicating the decision
4. Candidate unsure how to pull out of the process
5. Pay offer was too low

For their part, job seekers say the top five reasons they ghosted employers are:

1. It wasn’t the right job for them
2. It wasn’t the right company for them
3. Pay offer was too low
4. Benefits weren’t good enough
5. Received another job offer

What can be done about job seekers ghosting employers? Indeed’s surveys also asked both groups.

Employers said:

1. Improve communication and transparency, 54%
2. Reduce the length of the hiring process, 43%
3. Offer flexible schedule options, 36%

Candidates said:

1. Higher pay, 42%
2. Better pay transparency, 41%
3. Better benefits, 38%
4. Better communication, 34%

The employer survey 1,502 employers in the US and took place between April 26 and May 3. The job seeker survey included 1,507 US respondents and took place between April 26 and May 9.