Getting rid of the ghost
Come 2026, employers in Ontario will have to stop ghosting candidates
NEW ANTI-GHOSTING RULES are set to come into effect in Ontario at the end of this year, and it will be cause for celebration for anyone who’s ever interviewed for a job and then never heard back.
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Starting in 2026, employers with at least 25 employees will be required to inform candidates whether or not they got the job within 45 days of a job interview. They will also have to disclose whether a vacancy is actively being filled, plus whether artificial intelligence is being used to screen and select candidates.
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For many, this is a landmark step in fixing a broken hiring market.
“Kudos to Ontario for being the grown up in the room,” wrote IT recruiting firm Kovasys IT recruitment. “Tech companies are out here building AI to automate interviews but can’t figure out how to automate feedback. To every hiring manager ghosting candidates after three-plus rounds: you’re not busy, you’re just disrespectful and you’re bleeding top talent.”
Recruiters have their own gripes with the modern hiring process, so many are cheering this on as well. A recruiter who helps broker an interview process that ends in a ghosting often catches some collateral flak for their role, even if their influence is more perceived than actual. Bonnie Dilber, recruiting lead at Zapier, praised Ontario’s move. “That feels like a minimum expectation,” she told CNBC. “People who apply to jobs deserve to understand what’s happening behind the scenes.”
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Efforts to do the same in other jurisdictions have started, but with mixed results. A similar bill in New Jersey faced stiff opposition from business groups. Others are being looked at. But for anyone in the job market, Ontario looks like a candidate’s paradise.
“It took actual legislation to get employers to do the bare minimum ― send a damn email,” wrote marketing pro Stephanie Wandell. “I hope this goes national. Hell, I hope it goes global.” 
Kieran Delamont