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Why is it so hard to find a job now? Enter Ghost Jobs

(arxiv.org)
393 points JSeymourATL | 2 comments | 14 Nov 24 14:35 UTC | HN request time: 0.417s | source
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shmatt ◴[14 Nov 24 14:56 UTC] No.42136701[source]▶
I have to put out a ghost job req and interview every person applying within reason for every green card a direct report is applying for. I have to show there are or aren’t any residents or citizens that can fill the job

The main problem is: even if the interviewee knocks it out of the park, is an amazing engineer, I still am not interested in firing my OPT/h1b team member who can still legally work for 2-3 years. So while I will deny their green card application and not submit it, I also won’t hire the interviewee

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ndiddy ◴[14 Nov 24 15:04 UTC] No.42136810[source]▶
I'm glad our government has introduced the H1B program to help out employers like you who are dealing with a shortage of tech workers (who will work for 2/3 market and will do anything you say because if they get fired they'll be deported).
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onlyrealcuzzo ◴[14 Nov 24 16:09 UTC] No.42137601[source]▶
What makes you so sure the job wouldn't just exist somewhere cheaper like Europe if they couldn't hire for 2/3 in the US?
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wil421 ◴[14 Nov 24 16:17 UTC] No.42137688[source]▶
Because it’s hard to fire someone in the EU. Eastern Europe is cheaper and so is India.
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newaccount74 ◴[14 Nov 24 17:39 UTC] No.42138776[source]▶
That's a myth. How is it hard to fire someone?

I live in Austria and you can fire people for pretty much any reason. You have to give them 6 weeks notice, and there are some extra protections for people who are old or who have disabilities and who have been working for your company for a long time, but even then you can fire them.

You can even fire people for getting sick a lot.

And that's assuming you directly hire them as employees in the first place. Many people work via agencies or as contractors, and they have practically zero protections.

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1. throwaway2037 ◴[14 Nov 24 18:37 UTC] No.42139533[source]▶
Wow, I am genuinely shocked by this post. I had no idea. Honestly, I assumed that most central European countries have reasonably strong labour laws that make it difficult to fire employees. Let us assume that your post is (mostly) true. How does Austria have such a large, robust, stable middle class without strong labour protections, or a wide/deep social safety net? Or does Austria have the equivalent of "Flexcurity" from Denmark (easy to fire, but wide/deep social safety net for a moderate period of time)?
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2. newaccount74 ◴[14 Nov 24 19:39 UTC] No.42140279[source]▶
Labour protections doesn't mean you are protected from being fired.

You have to pay people the minimum salary depending on their trade, you have to give them 5 weeks of vacation, pay overtime, pay for health insurance and so on.

Employers can't exploit their employees, but employees still have to do their job.

But there is also a big area of the economy where employers ignore the law and treat employees like shit. For example, service workers are not generally treated well in Austria, and many are afraid of losing their job so they don't complain to the authorities.