A new law requires employers to respond to interviewees, which could change hiring practices
After three interviews in London, Laura Gemma Bond traveled back to Cambridge and waited for the call that never came. Despite paying for train tickets and preparing for each meeting, the 12-year marketing professional received no response at all.
“It’s rude, it’s unprofessional, it’s unacceptable,” said Bond, who documented her job search on TikTok, where her posts reached 2.3 million views.
In many countries, being “ghosted” by employers after interviews has become a familiar frustration for job seekers. A 2025 report from recruitment platform Greenhouse found that 63% of candidates in the UK and Ireland say they have experienced this.
Now part of Canada has decided to legislate against this practice. Under changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, companies with more than 25 employees must notify candidates whether they were successful within 45 days of their last interview. Employers who fail to respond could face fines of up to 100,000 Canadian dollars, about 50,000 pounds sterling, after the law comes into effect in January.
“As an HR professional, I can’t believe we need to enshrine basic good behavior in law,” said Allison Venditti, the Toronto-based founder of the Moms at Work network, who pushed for the legislation. “If someone applies for a job, gets an interview and spends all that time, companies should let them know what’s going on.”
Ontario law also requires employers to disclose salary ranges in job advertisements. Another measure could help restore confidence in recruitment, campaigners say. Danielle McConville, vice president of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific at Greenhouse, said ghosting undermines employers’ trust while damaging their reputation.
Allison Venditti, founder of the Moms at Work network, advocated for the change
“While anti-ghosting regulations like those in Canada could help establish a baseline standard, the real solution is a human-centered approach that ensures fair, respectful and structured hiring practices,” she said.
However, some employers’ associations warn that statutory communication could create additional administrative burdens in recruiting, particularly for companies conducting large hiring rounds with hundreds of applicants. Critics also say the rule could simply encourage automated rejection emails rather than improving the quality of feedback candidates receive. Recruiters note that ghosting can go both ways, with some candidates also dropping out of the recruiting process without notice.
The debate comes at a time when tensions in labor markets are tense. In the UK, recent figures show unemployment is nearing a five-year high as wage growth slows. At the same time, some graduates say they submit hundreds of applications before getting a job. Candidates have reportedly applied for up to 600 positions before receiving an offer.
Against this backdrop, activists are beginning to wonder whether laws like those in Ontario could be adopted elsewhere. A petition has been launched on the UK Government and Parliament website calling for a legal obligation for employers to respond to respondents. However, at the time of writing, the petition had only collected 98 signatures.
“Once accountability measures are introduced in one jurisdiction, they quickly impact practice elsewhere,” said Jessica Ciccozzi, founder of Australian business consultancy East Executive.
Main image: Marten Bjork
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