Finding a job can be an extremely stressful and often long process. For many, the hunt for employment becomes a full-time job in itself — especially in Canada’s current market. Unemployment rates neared a 10-year high in February, with an average rate of 6.7 per cent and 14.1 per cent for people under 24.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the job search is the interview process and waiting — sometimes for months — to hear back. Candidate “ghosting” — post-interview silence from the employer — has become common for many, adding more uncertainty and anxiety for those struggling to find work.
However, as of Jan. 1, job seekers in Ontario should have begun to see a difference. That’s when new rules came into effect under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, including revisions that not only strengthen employee protections, but also the rights of unsuccessful candidates for a publicly advertised job.
For example, in an amended section of the law titled “duty to inform applicants interviewed,” the legislation stipulates that “if an employer interviews an applicant for a publicly advertised job posting, the employer shall, within the prescribed time period, provide the applicant with the prescribed information.”
Many HR and recruitment teams have treated silence as neutral. This new law states that silence is misconduct.
— Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce citing new Ontario law
This “anti-ghosting law” requires companies with 25 or more employees to provide interviewed applicants a yes-no response within 45 days of their interview. The new legislation has also tightened guidelines surrounding job advertising and international experience restrictions — meaning companies can no longer require or specify in a job listing that work experience in Canada is needed.
The changes are being touted as a step toward a better job market and more transparency when companies use online engines for hiring. This is intended to reduce the number of ghosted applicants, a strategy that reflects a statistical correlation between applicant ghosting and application drop-off.
The 2023 Global Candidate and Experience Benchmark Research Report, which tracks trends in the North American human resources sector, found that 61 per cent of interviewed candidates never hear back from the employer, and most applicants never hear back about their application.
Some HR companies in Ontario have applauded the new rule. The Burke Group, based in St. Catharines, says this “embodies a broader cultural shift towards respect, and accountability in the hiring process.”
The change by Ontario has even attracted attention internationally. For example, the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce has offered glowing praise for the applicant-friendly law, recently describing it as Ontario “drawing a line the sand” on ghosting.
“This is the world’s first fully enacted anti-ghosting law,” stated a column about the Ontario legislation in the ATCC’s December newsletter. “Many HR and recruitment teams have treated silence as neutral. This new law states that silence is misconduct. HR teams must inform candidates if they are hired, rejected, or still under consideration.”
The ATCC highlighted the importance of governments recognizing the disrespect many companies have shown towards applicants in the past and that this is a positive change for recruiters and other human resources professionals, as well.
But will this actually change anything for the current state of the job market?
A recent economic analysis from the Royal Bank of Canada indicates that the bank believes the unemployment rate could rise significantly in the coming months as the federal government implements a new wave of layoffs later this year.
Recent high school, college and university graduates are part of a demographic that makes up a disproportionately large percentage of job seekers and the unemployed, and they face a particularly difficult employment landscape.
I have applied for 30 jobs so far, and heard back from four with automated responses.
— Augustine Ezman, Carleton University graduate
Recent Carleton University graduate Augustine Ezman is a part of this group. He has only recently started looking for a job, following his last semester in the fall of 2025, but already sees the challenges people are facing.
“I have applied for 30 jobs so far and heard back from four with automated responses,” he said. Ezman said he is just scratching the surface of his job hunt and wants to be optimistic, but he acknowledges that the process is discouraging.
Ezman said he was excited by the new legislation when he first found out about it and has said that he has noticed a faster reply from a couple of the companies to which he applied, perhaps because of the anti-ghosting law. It isn’t clear how many of his applications would have been affected by the new law.
“I think a response shows a lot about the environment you are going into and what to expect, but I think it’s only a matter of time until this becomes another automated thing,” Ezman said.
He also said there are fake job postings out there and so much use of AI is making things even more difficult to navigate.
“I try to reach out to real people from the companies I apply to when I can through LinkedIn,” he said. This makes the online application processes feel more human for him.
Another rule under the legislation somewhat addresses similar concerns. Businesses are now required to disclose their use of any AI in hiring processes, provide salary information up to a certain income and keep all application related documents for up to three years. These rules are meant to promote transparency and create a more trustworthy space within the world of online applications.
