NJ job applicants given a big leg up with this new proposal

⚫ A bill in the NJ Legislature targets so-called ghost listings

⚫ Employers would have to remove a listing after the job is filled

⚫ Business advocates don't want another obstacle

Are you wasting your time applying for jobs that have already been filled?

A proposed New Jersey law aims to give applicants a lot more power during their job search.

Critics of the measure say it would just add an unnecessary burden for businesses.

The Assembly Labor Committee approved a measure on Thursday that requires employers to do the following when looking for job applicants with a public posting:

🚩 Indicate whether the posting is for an existing vacancy

🚩 Provide an estimated timetable for filling the position, if it's vacant

🚩 Remove the posting within two weeks of the position being filled

The employer would also have to notify any third-party job posting companies when an applicant has taken the listed job.

Also, under the bill's requirements, any person interviewed for a position would have to be told within the timetable mentioned in the listing whether the job has been filled and whether the applicant is still being considered for the job.

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Assemblyman Joe Danielsen, D-Somerset, said the bill goes after so-called ghost listings — the job opening is still easily viewable, even though the employer has no need to hire someone.

"These practices harm job seekers by wasting their valuable time and effort on non-existent opportunities," Danielsen said.

Opposition to the bill

Before the committee voted in favor of the measure by a vote of 6-3, lawmakers heard from business groups who claim the proposal would further hamper businesses that may be struggling already to stay afloat here.

"We already are an outlier on so many labor mandates, and we think if this bill goes forward, it would further promulgate our outlier status," said Elissa Frank, vice president of government affairs for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

The bill was amended before the committee vote to include a warning for violators, before the potential for a minimum $1,000 fee can be handed down. An offender can be fined every month a job posting is found to be in violation of the rule.

The proposal applies to businesses with 10 or more workers.

"We always attack the employer and it's not right," said Assemblyman Brian Bergen, R-Morris, who voted against the bill. "This bill does not solve any legitimate problem out there. This is not an issue."

There is also a Senate version of Danielsen's bill.

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