Ontario to Ban HR Ghosting in Job Interviews Under New Law

Ontario, Canada, will introduce new rules aimed at ending the practice of employers failing to respond to job applicants after interviews, starting January 1, 2026. The legislation will require companies with at least 25 employees to inform candidates of their application status within 45 days of an interview, regardless of whether a hiring decision has been made.

The law will also address the posting of “ghost jobs” — vacancies advertised for roles employers are not actively hiring for. Under the new requirements, businesses must disclose whether a listed role is being actively filled and if artificial intelligence is being used to screen or select applicants.

“This law makes clear that if someone applies to your company and takes the time to interview, that you owe them a clear response and a decision,” said Bonnie Dilber, recruiting leader at software company Zapier. “That feels like a minimum expectation. People who apply to jobs deserve to understand what’s happening behind the scenes.”

Man in a job interview | Source: Pexels

Compliance and Penalties

Employers that fail to comply could face fines of up to CAD $100,000 (approximately USD $72,500), according to Bloomberg, although initial violations may result in warnings or smaller penalties.

The move comes in response to widespread concerns about communication gaps in the hiring process. Data from recruitment platform Greenhouse shows that about 50% of job seekers have experienced “ghosting” — where communication stops after an interview, sometimes even after final rounds. Additionally, 17% of job postings on Greenhouse in the second quarter of 2025 were for positions the company had no intention of filling.

Broader Legislative Efforts

Similar measures are under consideration in parts of the United States. In New Jersey, a proposed law would require employers to provide candidates with a timeline for decisions, remove job postings within two weeks of filling a role, and disclose when postings are for non-existent positions, with penalties of up to USD $5,000 for noncompliance.

Kentucky lawmakers previously introduced a bill to ban ghost jobs, though it did not advance. In California, a related proposal remains under committee review.

Man in a job interview | Source: Pexels

Dilber suggested that jurisdictions with existing job transparency legislation, such as Colorado and Washington, may be more likely to pursue similar regulations. She also noted that restrictions on AI in hiring could progress first. In 2023, New York City became the first jurisdiction to prohibit employers from using AI decision-making tools in recruitment unless the technology was audited for bias and accompanied by required notices to candidates.

Ontario’s new law marks one of the most comprehensive attempts to standardize communication between employers and job applicants, aiming to reduce uncertainty and improve transparency in the hiring process.

To sum up

Starting January 1, 2026, Ontario will require companies with at least 25 employees to update job applicants within 45 days of an interview, regardless of hiring decisions, in a bid to end “HR ghosting.” The law also bans “ghost jobs” by mandating disclosure of whether roles are actively being filled and if AI is used in candidate screening, with penalties of up to CAD $100,000 for noncompliance. Prompted by data showing half of job seekers experience ghosting and 17% of postings are for roles not intended to be filled, the measure is among the most comprehensive to improve hiring transparency, paralleling similar legislative efforts emerging in parts of the United States.