‘Can’t be bothered’: Why are Gen Z and millennial jobseekers ghosting potential employers?

You’re pretty sure they’re not “the one”. You’ve spotted a few early red flags, too glaring to overlook. You should do the polite thing, the decent thing, and drop them a line to explain why this could never work. But wouldn’t it be so much easier to just… ignore their messages and disappear? Ghosting is an unavoidable part of modern romance – but it’s happening in the world of work now too.

Just as some potential dates disappear into the digital ether after weeks of back and forth on the apps, jobseekers are giving potential employers the cold shoulder by failing to show up for interviews. When job platform Indeed recently surveyed 1,500 UK workers, it found that 79 per cent of Generation Z and millennial jobseekers (defined in their study as aged between 18 and 39) have failed to turn up for an interview without any warning beforehand; among Gen Z alone, that proportion rises to 93 per cent. On who can’t be bothered to stick to the basic rules of common courtesy – or something along those lines. But the figures also tell a story about how recruitment practices just aren’t working for younger employees – and how those employees are .