Almost two thirds (63 per cent) of UK jobseekers have faced discriminatory or biased interview questions, a troubling increase of 22 percentage points in a matter of months, a new report has found.
The Greenhouse study of 2,500 workers across the UK, US and Germany paints a stark picture of the discrimination still present in the job market.
Those who reported encountering discriminatory or biased interview questions said they primarily concerned age, gender or race.
Specifically, 36 per cent of candidates were asked questions about their age, 25 per cent about their gender and 23 per cent about their race.
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Discriminatory questions on the rise
This rise in biased questioning, along with issues including hiring managers mispronouncing candidates’ names, is particularly affecting jobseekers from historically underrepresented groups.
According to the report, 69 per cent of those in these groups have experienced name mispronunciations, compared to 56 per cent of other candidates.
Danielle McConville, vice president of EMEA at Greenhouse, highlighted ongoing inefficiencies in the hiring process: “The hiring landscape is riddled with systemic inefficiencies and a lack of consideration for the candidate experience. Discriminatory practices, communication breakdowns and short-sighted strategies have become all-too common.”
She added that companies must understand how candidate experience significantly impacts talent acquisition. “A business’s ability to attract and retain top talent can be a determining factor of long-term organisational success,” said McConville.
The rise of ghosting and ghost jobs
‘Ghosting’ has also long been a problem for jobseekers, and the Greenhouse data suggests it is getting worse.
The report revealed that 61 per cent of jobseekers have been ghosted after a job interview, marking a 19 percentage point increase since April 2024.
The phenomenon, where employers fail to communicate with candidates post interview, is particularly damaging to candidates who already face an incredibly selective hiring process.
In addition to ghosting, ‘ghost jobs’ – positions that are posted without any real intention to hire – remain a significant issue.
More than half (56 per cent) of jobseekers suspected they had encountered a ghost job, with a quarter (25 per cent) still applying despite their reservations. Greenhouse’s internal data showed that 18-22 per cent of roles posted on its platform in any given quarter were ghost jobs.
This disillusionment with the hiring process was compounded by a rising number of scam and spam job listings. The report found that almost three quarters (69 per cent) of jobseekers had encountered these deceptive listings.
Jon Stross, president and co-founder of Greenhouse, lamented the current state of the hiring market: “The data highlights a troubling reality – the job market has become more soul crushing than ever. Candidates are trapped in a cycle of despair and have no idea what’s going on.”
He also pointed out the long-term consequences of poor candidate experience, stating that “every unanswered email and every vanishing hiring manager isn’t just a minor inconvenience to candidates, it’s costly and can damage a company’s reputation, making it harder to attract top talent in the long term”.
Candidates and AI in the hiring process
The role of AI in the job market has also become more prominent, both for employers and candidates.
Greenhouse found that 96 per cent of workers viewed the current job market as challenging, with 60 per cent attributing intensified competition to the growing presence of AI in recruitment.
AI has allowed candidates to mass apply to jobs more easily, with 28 per cent of jobseekers submitting applications to multiple roles in a short period of time, flooding employers with resumes.
This increase in applications has made it harder for candidates to stand out, especially as the hiring process becomes more automated.
The report also found generational differences in how jobseekers view AI. For instance, 68 per cent of Gen Z candidates said AI had made the job search more competitive, compared to just 38 per cent of millennials.
While AI-assisted candidate evaluation was embraced by some, it was not without its detractors. A quarter (24 per cent) of candidates favoured AI-assisted evaluation, but 13 per cent opposed any AI involvement in recruitment.
Furthermore, one third (31 per cent) of candidates expressed a desire to understand how AI was being used in the hiring process, pointing to a growing demand for transparency in the use of AI in recruitment.
Candidates’ preferences for improved communication
Another key finding from the report was that jobseekers were frustrated with the lack of communication throughout the hiring process.
The majority of jobseekers (84 per cent) said they were more likely to reapply to companies that took the time to provide feedback after an interview.
Post-application ghosting remains a major issue, with the highest rates of ghosting occurring after initial conversations with recruiters (45 per cent) and hiring managers (42 per cent).
Additionally, many candidates (33 per cent) were willing to provide feedback on a company’s hiring process but had never been asked.
“In this day and age, we simply cannot allow discriminatory practices to continue,” said Lucy Fitzgerald, CEO and founder at Fitzgerald HR. “As HR professionals, it’s our responsibility to ensure that hiring managers are properly trained to conduct interviews fairly and know exactly what questions are appropriate to ask. Offering constructive feedback to candidates who take time out of their busy lives to go through our hiring processes is another crucial step.”
Fitzgerald added that these actions were not just about practicality but about respect. “These small gestures show appreciation, enhance our employer brand, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to treating candidates with respect,” she said.
“Ultimately, this isn’t just about having strategies in place – it’s about making sure those strategies lead to real, positive change in the hiring experience.”
The hiring process adjustments jobseekers want
Candidates are calling for a variety of improvements to the hiring process. According to the survey, 47 per cent of jobseekers wanted stronger communication from recruiters, while 45 per cent were seeking better job matching to increase search efficiency.
Furthermore, 38 per cent of candidates were actively seeking ways to make their applications stand out from the competition, pointing to the heightened pressure in today’s job market.
Jobseekers also want more transparency in the recruitment process. The top priorities for increasing transparency included unbiased recruiting (33 per cent), clearer communication around the usage of AI (31 per cent) and greater visibility into which companies were the best fit for them (32 per cent).
Additionally, 23 per cent of jobseekers were advocating for an end to the practice of posting ghost jobs.
“To restore trust and improve hiring practices, HR teams must prioritise fairness, transparency and respect at every stage of the recruitment process,” said Ian Moore, managing director of Lodge Court.
“By adopting technology that mitigates bias, enhancing training and upholding candidate dignity, organisations can foster stronger employer branding and fairer opportunities for all.”
For further resources, read the CIPD’s factsheet on discrimination in the workplace
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