Ghosting in the Swiss Job Market: When You Don't Get a Response to an Application

Application submitted, interview completed—and then radio silence. Swiss studies show that a lack of feedback is widespread among job seekers. What lies behind so-called “application ghosting,” what rights job seekers have, and why reliable communication is important for employers as well.

The application has been submitted. The resume was carefully prepared, employment references and certificates were compiled, and perhaps even a personal cover letter was written. An automated confirmation of receipt arrives. After that, nothing happens. No invitation, no rejection, no update. What initially looks like a delay turns into weeks of radio silence. This so-called “application ghosting” is also a documented problem in the Swiss job market.

When a Job Application Leads to Radio Silence

Job hunting takes effort. Anyone applying for an advertised position invests time in reviewing the job description, compiling their documents, and often crafting a personalized application.

Depending on the company, this may be followed by online forms, aptitude tests, preliminary phone interviews, or in-person interviews. For more demanding positions, several rounds of interviews may be required.

It goes without saying that not every application can be successful in the end. Companies must select candidates, compare them with one another, and make their decisions based on the requirements of the position.

The problem arises when the person involved has absolutely no idea why this decision was made.

In recruiting, “ghosting” refers to the failure to provide an expected response or the unexplained termination of contact that has already begun.

This can happen immediately after submitting an application. However, it is particularly stressful after an interview, when a personal exchange has already taken place or a specific time for a response has been agreed upon.

That said, not every delayed response automatically constitutes ghosting. Internal decision-making processes can take longer than planned. A temporary lack of communication also does not prove that a company is deliberately ignoring applicants.

However, if there is still no response even after a reasonable waiting period and a polite follow-up, a communication problem arises that goes far beyond a routine rejection.

What Swiss Studies Actually Show

Older studies have already shown that a lack of feedback is widespread in the Swiss job market.

In 2019, JobCloud—operator of jobs.ch and jobup.ch, among others—published a labor market study in collaboration with the LINK Institute.

For this study, a total of 2,556 people in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland were surveyed online.

Forty-eight percent of respondents stated that it happens occasionally to frequently that they receive no response at all after submitting an application.

An interesting finding was the regional difference: In German-speaking Switzerland, this figure was 44 percent, while in French-speaking Switzerland it was 58 percent.

Standardized rejection letters were also examined. 80 percent of respondents reported receiving such replies occasionally to frequently. At the same time, 73 percent would prefer more personalized feedback, ideally with an explanation.

These results show that job applicants do not necessarily expect detailed, individualized advice, but they do expect clear and transparent communication.

A more recent report, published in May 2026, on a Swiss survey conducted by the job platform Indeed also paints a critical picture.

Of 537 respondents, a large majority reported not having received a response to their most recent job application. More than a quarter stated that they experience this regularly.

According to their own reports, 78.6 percent perceived an increase in “ghosting” over the past year. 30.7 percent even felt this increase was very significant.

However, these figures must be put into proper context: They are survey results and subjective experiences, not a representative analysis of all Swiss job applications or evidence of deliberately withheld responses.

Furthermore, the studies from 2019 and 2026 are not directly comparable in terms of methodology. Therefore, no exact trend in the actual “ghosting” rate can be derived from the differing percentages.

Nevertheless, the common finding remains relevant: a lack of feedback is not an isolated, marginal phenomenon.

A Swiss Job Market with Diverse Realities

The job market in Switzerland is by no means uniform.

While companies in certain industries continue to face significant difficulties in finding qualified personnel, competition among job seekers is much more intense in other sectors.

According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), 140,480 people were registered as unemployed in Switzerland at the end of September 2026. The unemployment rate stood at 3.0 percent.

The Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index, compiled in collaboration with the University of Zurich’s Swiss Job Market Monitor, showed a slight stabilization in job openings for the third quarter of 2026: Compared to both the previous quarter and the same quarter of the previous year, an increase of 0.8 percent was recorded in each case.

Behind this overall trend, however, lie varying trends across individual occupational groups.

For job seekers, this means that a job opening is not automatically a sign that suitable candidates are in short supply. Nor does a tight job market mean that every position is flooded with applications.

Labor market data can explain why application processes vary in difficulty depending on the industry. However, they do not prove that a specific unemployment rate directly leads to more ghosting.

This distinction is important if one wishes to objectively assess the behavior of companies.

Why Companies Don’t Respond

There are several possible reasons for a lack of response.

A job posting can attract many applications. The HR department must review documents, organize consultations with specialized departments, and possibly coordinate multiple rounds of decision-making.

Added to this are internal changes: a position may be temporarily unfilled, a budget may need to be reapproved, or the requirements for the position may change during the selection process.

Technical and organizational issues are also possible. Applicant tracking systems may be confusingly configured, responsibilities may shift, or a response may simply be overlooked.

The XING Labor Market Report 2025 illustrates just how much pressure HR departments can face.

In a survey of 150 recruiters in German-speaking Switzerland, 70 percent reported high emotional strain and stress. 94 percent stated that, in addition to recruiting, they are increasingly having to take on other HR tasks.

Such findings provide insight into potential organizational pressures.

However, they do not prove that overburdened HR departments inevitably “ghost” applicants.

From the perspective of the affected applicant, one key question remains unanswered: Why isn’t a brief response possible?

After all, there are numerous practical alternatives between a detailed, personalized rejection and complete silence.

Even a brief message stating that the decision has been delayed or that the position has been filled by someone else provides clarity.

Automation Should Facilitate Communication

Digitalization has fundamentally changed the application process.

Instead of printed application materials, resumes are uploaded, online forms are filled out, and information is processed in digital applicant tracking systems.

Such systems can significantly simplify the recruitment process.

They make it possible to manage applications centrally, track their processing status, and send standardized messages.

At the same time, a strange situation arises when a company can easily send automated acknowledgments of receipt but fails to provide feedback on the final decision.

Generative artificial intelligence is also changing the landscape. It can help applicants craft their application materials and support companies with organizational tasks.

However, it is impossible to give a blanket answer as to whether this actually results in more applications and to what extent this places a burden on individual companies.

The quality of the process remains the decisive factor.

A digitized application process is not automatically a well-organized application process.

Technical tools should make communication more reliable, not replace personal responsibility for it.

What a Lack of Feedback Means for Job Seekers

A rejection can be disappointing. But at least it puts an end to the uncertainty surrounding a specific application.

Ghosting, on the other hand, leaves questions unanswered.

Is the application still being reviewed? Should you follow up? Has the position already been filled? Was a decision made but simply not communicated?

This situation becomes particularly difficult after a face-to-face interview.

Anyone who prepares for an interview, schedules appointments, and possibly goes through several rounds of selection has already invested a significant amount of time.

If a promised response fails to materialize afterward, it can alter one’s assessment of the entire application process.

This uncertainty is also relevant for people who already have a job and are looking to change career paths.

The decision to change jobs often depends on various factors: the potential new responsibilities, working conditions, commute, and long-term career prospects.

A lack of information makes it difficult to plan effectively.

The personal stress this causes should not be underestimated. At the same time, it would be wrong to draw conclusions about a person’s qualifications or worth from every instance where a response is not received.

A job application is a professional inquiry. Its outcome depends on numerous factors, only some of which applicants can influence.

What rights do job applicants have in Switzerland?

As unsatisfactory as the situation may be, in the private Swiss labor market there is generally no legal obligation to respond individually to every application or to provide ongoing updates on the status of the selection process.

However, there are legal limits and specific protective provisions.

One important exception concerns potential discrimination based on gender.

According to Article 8, Paragraph 1, of the Swiss Gender Equality Act, individuals whose applications were not considered and who allege such discrimination may request a written explanation for the rejection.

Short statutory deadlines apply to related claims for compensation. Anyone who sees concrete evidence of discrimination should therefore seek expert advice in a timely manner.

Another area is data protection.

The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) states that, in the hiring process, employers may generally process only personal data necessary to assess a candidate’s suitability for the position in question.

Once a selection process has concluded without a successful outcome, application documents must generally be returned, or copies that are no longer needed must be destroyed, unless there are justifiable reasons for further retention.

These data protection obligations apply regardless of whether a company has sent a polite rejection letter.

Legally, a distinction should also be made between private-sector companies and public employers. Special procedural and legal protection provisions may apply to public hiring processes.

However, the mere absence of a response does not automatically entitle an applicant to compensation or a job offer.

What Applicants Can Do Specifically

If you do not receive a response after submitting an application, you should first take note of the specified timeframe.

Some companies indicate in their acknowledgment of receipt when an initial decision can be expected.

If such information is missing, a polite follow-up after about one to two weeks is a practical guideline. This is not a legal deadline, but rather a recommendation for everyday application practices.

After a job interview, it’s advisable to ask at the end of the interview about the next steps and the expected decision date.

If this deadline passes without a response, you can follow up again.

A short message is sufficient, for example:

Hello

I would like to inquire about the current status of my application for the advertised position. I am still interested in the position and would appreciate a brief update on the next steps.

Best regards

If you still don’t receive a response, it’s usually best to put the matter aside for now and focus on other opportunities.

A further polite inquiry may be appropriate in some cases. However, repeated follow-ups at very short intervals do not necessarily improve your chances.

It’s also helpful to keep a record of your applications: company, position, date sent, contact person, interviews, and agreed-upon follow-up dates.

For individuals registered with the Regional Employment Center (RAV), it is also important to follow the applicable guidelines for documenting job search efforts.

Above all, however, your job search should not be made dependent on the decision of a single company.

Companies also lose out due to ghosting

A job application is not just an opportunity for job seekers to introduce themselves to a company.

It is also a point of contact between a company and potential future employees.

How this interaction unfolds influences the impression applicants form of an employer.

Those who receive no response during the selection process may think twice about whether it’s worth applying again when a similar job opening arises later.

This can be particularly problematic in specialized fields.

A candidate who wasn’t a good fit for a specific position a few years ago might, by then, have gained exactly the experience a company needs.

Ghosting also happens the other way around: candidates stop responding, fail to show up for scheduled interviews, or withdraw from an ongoing process without notice.

Reliable communication is therefore not a one-sided obligation.

Both sides benefit from clear expectations, binding deadlines, and timely information.

From the company’s perspective, not every rejection needs to be lengthy.

A clear acknowledgment of receipt, an interim update in case of delays, and a final decision are often sufficient to ensure significantly more transparent communication.

Professional recruiting is demonstrated not only by whom a company hires, but also by how it treats the people it does not hire.

A simple matter of professional conduct

The Swiss job market is changing. Demand for workers varies by occupational group, digital application processes are becoming more complex, and both companies and job seekers are under pressure.

Available Swiss studies show that a lack of feedback is a common experience for many applicants.

They also show that HR professionals may face significant organizational challenges.

Both of these factors should be taken seriously.

It would be too simplistic to interpret every lack of response as deliberate disrespect. Nor should a heavy workload be automatically considered a sufficient explanation for a complete lack of communication.

Ultimately, the question is not whether a company must hire every person or provide a detailed explanation for every rejection.

It doesn’t have to.

The question is what minimum standard of communication is part of a professional hiring process.

Anyone who requests application materials, conducts in-person interviews, and makes decisions can, in principle, also ensure that the process comes to a clear conclusion for those involved.

A rejection isn’t pleasant. But it provides clarity. Silence leaves people without an answer.

And that is precisely where the real problem with application ghosting lies.

Sources and further information

Editor’s Note: The surveys cited are based on different samples and survey methods. Their results reflect the experiences and assessments of the respondents. They do not allow for a general conclusion regarding how many job applications in Switzerland actually go unanswered. Legal information refers to the Swiss legal situation and is not a substitute for individual legal advice.

Ghosting in the Swiss Job Market: When You Don&#x27;t Get a Response to an Application