OCTOBER 1, 2025
Lately, some employees are noticing an ominous trend in their career trajectories.
A new report from career platform My Perfect Resume found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers say that they’ve experienced “ghost growth,” or surface-level career growth that doesn’t translate to meaningful changes in pay or title, based on a survey of 1,000 employed Americans.
Nearly half of respondents felt that their career had hit a plateau, and their employers were attempting to placate them with “superficial opportunities.”
According to career expert Jasmine Escalera, ghost growth “looks like success on paper,” but it doesn’t provide tangible benefits. Employees end up shouldering more work, but they only receive shallow praise in return, she says.
“They’ll give you something to make you feel content and to stick around, but they won’t actually give you the title to represent the work that you’re doing, or the pay to represent the additional work that you’re taking on, or even the career progression you’re looking for,” she says.
Escalera herself says that she’s experienced ghost growth in a previous role. Despite taking on extra tasks in hopes of landing a promotion, her career at the company never advanced.
“It can’t just be, ‘Here’s a bunch of work we want you to do,’ and a pat on the back. That’s not enough,” she says. “It also needs to be translated into potentially bonuses and titles.”
‘No one’s actually listening’
Superficial growth is a “recipe for disaster” when it comes to employee morale, Escalera says.
Many professionals are “really looking to take on work and expand themselves and showcase their value,” Escalera says, but if their efforts don’t lead to tangible changes in pay, title or skill development, employees will begin to “check out” at work.
“I think they’re just feeling like, okay, I am almost kind of being appeased, but no one’s actually listening to me,” she says.
Nearly a quarter of surveyed workers said that ghost growth made them feel frustrated, and 20% reported feeling burnt out. Moreover, 68% of workers said that they have considered quitting their jobs due to surface-level or “fake” career growth.
In terms of meaningful outcomes, 27% of workers said that they wanted higher pay, 18% expressed a desire for better work-life balance and 16% are looking to land a leadership role.
Promoting real career growth
According to Escalera, the survey’s results “should be a very big wake-up call” for employers, she says.
Workers “know what the deal is now” regarding ghost growth, Escalera says. “They understand completely that this is just a form of appeasement to keep them around, and it’s not satisfying their needs.”
To combat ghost growth, Escalera advises managers to foster open dialogue with employees to learn what they’re looking for in terms of career development. For example, creating a career map could be a helpful tool for workers who are hoping to land promotions.
“If you have someone who really wants to take on the additional work, or wants to grow within a specific skill set, or is looking for career progression within the company, you have to take that into account, and it can’t be something that you’re just divvying out to make them feel satisfied,” she says.
For employees who are experiencing ghost growth, Escalera recommends having a serious conversation with your manager about professional development.
“Get together some information, some talking points, showcasing how you deserve the promotion or the pay raise because of the value that you’re contributing,” she says.
If you and your manager can’t come up with a concrete plan for your career growth, it might be time to polish up your resume and look for another job, she says.
Ultimately, Escalera says, if top employees are looking for growth opportunities, companies need to “find a way to make that happen,” or risk losing them.
Courtesy/Source: CNBC
