MyPerfectResume, a leading career and resume service, has announced the findings from its 2025 State of the Workforce Report, which uncovers significant challenges faced by both job seekers and employed workers as they navigate a difficult and uncertain job market.
“Workforce challenges that emerged this year are poised to become 2025 labor market trends, with job seekers struggling to navigate “ghost jobs”—positions that don’t exist or won’t be filled—leading to confusion and diminished confidence in an already competitive market,” says Jasmine Escalera, career expert for MyPerfectResume. “Employed professionals, meanwhile, face eroded trust in HR departments, feeling unsupported and burned out, while strict return-to-office policies have heightened remote workers’ fears about job security.”
Key highlights from the report include the following.
- Approximately 81% of recruiters reported posting ghost jobs.
- Further, 83% of recruiters believe the rise in remote work opportunities has improved the quality of the candidate pool, but 96% report having at least some preference for local candidates.
- Most (86%) workers are afraid of HR representatives.
- Even more (88%) say they are experiencing burnout.
- More than three-quarters (77%) of workers believe return-to-office (RTO) policies are about employer control.
Ghost jobs haunted job seekers in 2024. MyPerfectResume’s 2024 Recruiting Survey found that 81% of recruiters report that they post ghost jobs. The primary reasons for posting ghost jobs include:
- maintaining a presence on job boards even when not hiring (38%);
- assessing the effectiveness of their job descriptions (36%);
- building a talent pool for the future (26%);
- gaining insights into the job market and competitors (26%);
- assessing how difficult it would be to replace certain employees (25%); and
- making the company look viable during a hiring freeze.
MyPerfectResume’s HR Perception Report found that 86% of workers report being afraid of HR representatives, with 85% hesitating to approach HR for work-related issues due to concerns about confidentiality and potential repercussions.
The top reasons that employees avoid HR include the following.
- They view HR as unapproachable. Approximately 37% of respondents mentioned that HR staff were unapproachable, contributing to a reluctance to seek help.
- They fear repercussions. Nearly one-third (31%) of employees feared negative consequences if they raised concerns.
- They lack trust in the confidentiality of their discussions. More than one-third (37%) expressed doubt that their issues would remain confidential, while 31% preferred handling problems independently or with their manager.
When asked about their concerns with HR, the top concerns include:
- thinking HR is too involved in office politics (71%);
- believing that HR focuses on procedures rather than people (68%); and
- agreeing it’s hard to get a timely answer from HR (67%).
The data also shows that most employees who bring grievances to HR are unsatisfied with how the situation is handled. Almost all (90%) workers surveyed said that when they reported an issue to HR, they felt HR didn’t adequately address it.
“The fear surrounding HR departments has reached alarming levels, with many employees feeling unsupported and hesitant to voice their concerns,” Escalera says. “Our survey highlights an immediate call for urgent changes in workplace culture and communication strategies to rebuild employee trust and support in 2025 by improving transparency, confidentiality, and responsiveness. Building a more approachable and people-centric HR system can foster healthier workplace relationships, increase morale, and create a more inclusive and supportive work environment.”
In its 2024 RTO Survey, MyPerfectResume found that workers are unhappy with the mounting pressure to return to full-time onsite work and question their employers’ motives for enforcing these rules.
The data shows that 77% of workers believe the primary motivation for RTO policies is for employers to exert more control over their workers’ activities. In many cases, going back isn’t optional. Of those surveyed, 64% believe their employer wants them back in the office because they don’t trust people to do their work remotely.
Even though 28% say their employer has threatened to fire workers who don’t comply, many workers say they won’t return. In fact, 36% of respondents say there is no perk their company could offer to justify a full-time return to the office.
Even big perks like unlimited PTO and a four-day workweek don’t sway most employees. No perk was deemed valuable enough to persuade the majority of people to return to onsite work.
However, some incentives ranked higher than others, including:
- fuel reimbursement (50%);
- unlimited PTO (47%);
- health insurance (47%);
- free lunches (45%); and
- four-day workweeks (41%).
According to MyPerfectResume’s Employee Burnout Survey, 88% of respondents feel they are experiencing burnout. Burnout has consequences for stressed-out workers. Those surveyed revealed that they have experienced a variety of consequences, including:
- thinking regularly about quitting (20%);
- taking a leave of absence due to stress (24%);
- calling in sick because they can’t face going to work (20%); and
- feeling angry at co-workers (20%).
Workplace burnout also extends into employees’ personal lives, with one in four saying they have experienced depression about their job; more than three-quarters (77%) believing feelings about their job negatively impact their personal life; and nearly three-quarters (74%) reporting that they have talked to a mental health professional about work-related stress.
“The prevalence of burnout in 2024 reflects a grim state of workplace well-being,” Escalera says. “Dissatisfaction and mental health issues impact both individuals and workplace productivity. Employers should prioritize flexible work policies, promote work-life balance, and ensure manageable workloads to foster a more supportive work environment that prioritizes well-being.”
