AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into LinkedIn over allegations that the platform advertised fake or misleading job opportunities to users who pay for Premium subscriptions.
In a statement, Paxton said LinkedIn markets its Premium Career and Premium Business subscriptions to job seekers who expect the platform’s listings to reflect legitimate, active employment opportunities. According to the attorney general’s office, the subscriptions cost about $39.99 and $69.99, respectively.
Paxton alleges LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most job postings, allowing so-called “ghost jobs”—positions that are no longer available or that employers have no immediate intention of filling—to remain on the platform.
The attorney general’s office claims LinkedIn’s marketing materials do not disclose that a significant number of job postings may be inactive or not representative of genuine hiring opportunities, potentially misleading consumers into purchasing Premium subscriptions.
“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings. I am investigating whether LinkedIn has misled Texans by promoting and profiting from ‘ghost jobs’ while marketing itself as a trusted platform for finding employment.”
As part of the investigation, the attorney general’s office issued a Civil Investigative Demand seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn’s advertising, marketing, job verification practices and Premium subscription services.
In a statement, LinkedIn said its goal is to help job seekers find employment and that its policies require job postings to be authentic and accurately represented.
The company said it provides information on many listings, including employers’ response times and whether companies are actively reviewing candidates, to help users identify current job opportunities. LinkedIn also said it continues to enforce its policies and invest in verification features for jobs, recruiters and company pages.
