There is also a cultural shift. Many HR and recruitment teams have treated silence as neutral. This new law states that silence is misconduct.
HR teams must inform candidates if they are hired, rejected, or still under consideration.
They must also disclose salary ranges and any use of artificial intelligence in the hiring process.
Ghosting damages your credibility, no matter where you operate.
The expectation for transparent communication is already global. Candidates talk. Markets are small. Reputations move fast.
For companies that already communicate well, this law will not change much. For those who ghost candidates, the days of silence are over.
This is the world’s first fully enacted anti-ghosting law.
Where in the world is this new law?
Ontario in Canada has drawn a firm line in the sand.
Starting 1 January 2026, any employer in the province with at least 25 employees must respond to every interviewed candidate within 45 days.
Employers now face legal consequences if they leave candidates without answers.
It forces HR teams to tighten internal processes. They need clear timelines, ownership of communication, and systems that send updates quickly.
- You must track each candidate from the first interview to the final decision with precise status codes.
- You need documentation that proves when you contacted each candidate.
- You need proper applicant tracking systems that timestamp actions and store communication records.
The new Ontario requirement applies to candidates who have completed a formal interview. It does not cover people who were screened on paper, had resumes reviewed, or went through an initial assessment without an actual interview.
Ghosting will become a global compliance issue for HR
The world is watching, and laws will address ghosting. Yes, the state of Ontario in Canada is the first mover, but lawmakers in the USA and other countries are discussing similar rules.
The trend is toward full hiring transparency. That includes mandatory salary disclosure, stronger audit trails, and penalties for companies that advertise fake or already filled jobs.
If you work in HR or recruitment, you should consider preparing yourself, wherever you are.
- Treat candidate communication as a compliance risk.
- Build systems that guarantee responses.
- Train managers.
- Document every step.
This shift will spread because job seekers are demanding respect, and governments are now enforcing it.
What it means for recruitment firms and search consultants
Recruitment agencies, for now in Ontario, Canada, carry a new risk. They represent their client. If their client fails to respond within 45 days, the candidate will blame the employer and the recruiter.
Recruiters need to insist on agreed-upon communication rules before you begin a search. They need written timelines and decision checkpoints. They need client reminders at fixed intervals.
When clients slow down or disappear, which happens often, they must escalate. They cannot wait and hope. They need documentation that shows they pushed for updates.
Retained search firms already run structured processes. Contingency recruiters will feel this pressure the most because clients often go silent, change direction, or freeze hiring without notice.
Why hiring companies should never ghost candidates
You hurt your employer brand when you ignore candidates. People share their experiences on social media and job boards.
Candidates who feel dismissed often tell others not to apply. You lose talent because strong candidates avoid companies that mistreat people.
You also weaken your talent pipeline. Candidates who feel respected return in the future.
Candidates who feel ignored walk away. Your cost per hire increases because you need to attract new candidates again and again.
You increase legal and compliance risk. Even if the law does not yet exist in your country, regulators are watching the trend. Transparency laws often spread. You protect yourself by building communication standards now.
Contingency recruitment agencies must stop ghosting
Your business depends on reputation. Candidates link your name to the companies you represent.
If you ignore them, they blame the employer and you. You lose referrals. You lose credibility. You lose future candidates who would have trusted you.
Agencies with poor communication also lose clients. Employers want recruiters who protect their brand in the talent market.
Silence does the opposite. You look disorganized. You look unprofessional.
Why executive search firms must hold higher standards
Senior candidates expect respect. Many are CEOs, CFOs, GMs, and industry leaders.
They remember how you treat them. When you ignore them, you lose influence with the top of the market.
Search firms build long-term relationships. Every unanswered message chips away at trust.
Even a simple status update shows professionalism.
At Tom Sorensen | NPAworldwide, we update our candidates (and clients for that matter) every Friday of every week, religiously, with no exception.
You earn respect when you communicate clearly, even when delivering difficult news.
The global expectation
You do not need local laws to tell you that communication matters. Candidates judge you based on how you act.
Companies that answer people build stronger pipelines.
Agencies that respond grow stronger networks. Search firms that communicate earn long-term loyalty.
The market rewards those who treat candidates with dignity.
Silence creates damage that follows you for years.
