Are Gen-Z Ditching Their Employers Like Bad Dates? Career Catfishing Explained

Generation Z has now entered the workforce, bringing with them a distinctly different set of behaviors, perspectives, and expectations compared to previous generations. As we navigate through 2025, this demographic is capturing widespread attention with various workplace trends, including the emergence of terms like "bare minimum Mondays" and "quiet quitting 2.0." Among the most talked-about phenomena this year is "career catfishing." This practice involves job seekers accepting job offers but subsequently choosing to "ghost" their employers by failing to appear on their first day or communicate their intentions.

Job ghosting has become common today, giving rise to a new hiring challenge in 2025. Many candidates are exaggerating their skills, misrepresenting their qualifications, or even lying about their identities to secure employment opportunities. Employers, too, often use similar deceptive practices, painting a misleading picture of a job role to lure potential candidates. The result is a "shift shock" for these young professionals when they show up on their first day.

This article examines these Gen Z job market trends in 2025 and uncovers strategies for reducing career catfishing and job ghosting practices. 

The Career Catfishing and Job Ghosting Culture

Disruptive practices like career catfishing and job ghosting perpetuate distrust in employer-employee relationships; however, these no-show trends cannot be attributed to a specific generation or group, nor are they one-sided.

Job seekers often experience unanswered calls, emails, or radio silence from employers. This might be a possible reason why Gen Z professionals believe that ghosting employers is acceptable. Job ghosting can be seen as a way employees seek to retaliate against the tedious job applications, lengthy hiring processes, and unresponsive hiring managers they face while looking for employment opportunities. 

However, that's not the only reason employers are seeing an upward trend of career catfishing among Gen Z. Workplace culture shifts, power dynamics, and misrepresentation in job roles are other reasons driving career catfishing.

What Drives Career Catfishing in the Gen Z Job Market?

Here are some potential reasons that motivate ghosting behaviors in employees:

1. Lack of workplace transparency: Many companies, in an effort to attract talent, may be dishonest regarding their compensation packages, advancement opportunities, or the true nature of their work culture, leaving candidates feeling misled and undervalued.

2. Multiple job offers and better benefits: In an environment where many companies are actively seeking talent, candidates often find themselves with multiple job offers. This abundance of options may lead them to ghost employers with less attractive offers in favor of those that promise better benefits and working conditions.

3. Workplace power dynamics: The interplay of power within the workplace may influence career catfishing behavior. Job seekers may engage in ghosting to push back against what they perceive to be unequal power dynamics and reclaim a sense of autonomy in the hiring process.

4. A generational shift in workplace expectations: Gen Z prioritizes flexibility, mental well-being, and a healthy work-life balance more than any prior generation. As they enter the workforce, their focus on these values may lead them to reject traditional corporate expectations and practices when their needs are unfulfilled.

5. Work flexibility: he rise of remote work, which is highly favored by many Gen Z individuals, can influence ghosting behaviors. Candidates may choose to ghost employers that seek to enforce strictly in-office work models in favor of organizations that offer the flexibility of remote positions.

While career catfishing might get Gen Z the favorable outcomes they seek, it disrupts a company's hiring plans and adds stress to recruiters and managers. It can also result in missed opportunities for other quality job applicants.

What Might Reduce Career Catfishing?

Here are some steps HR managers and leadership can take to potentially prevent career catfishing:

• Ensuring transparent and authentic communication is one way to prevent job ghosting. Employers should be honest about workplace practices, culture, and company values to manage Gen Z employees’ expectations.

• Restructuring corporate hiring processes to have fewer rounds and shorter durations may prevent employees from dropping out midway through the interview process or after receiving a job offer.

• Companies should consider making job offers more attractive by offering competitive salaries and better benefits. From the outset, transparency about pay and perks can build trust in employer-employee relationships. This might make employees less likely to pull a vanishing act on employers.

• Building an employer brand that values workplace transparency, mental well-being, and, most importantly, a sense of purpose can help attract and retain Gen Z job seekers. 

• Finally, employers should take responsibility and strive to end employer-driven ghosting.

Beyond this, employers can implement proactive strategies to alleviate career catfishing. They can maintain a record of candidates who indulge in ghosting behaviors to avoid getting blindsided by recurring instances in the future.

Conclusion

Career catfishing has become an all-too-familiar practice in the corporate workplace in 2025. 

Given the growing instances of deceptive behaviors in the workplace, HR managers and organizational leaders need to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. Getting insights on the social and psychological factors that give rise to career catfishing and job ghosting, especially among young professionals, helps to address these issues. 

Also Read: Who Are Passive Candidates & How Can You Recruit Them?