A new national survey of 1,000 U.S. workers reveals a widespread perception of “ghost growth” in the workplace, career advancement that looks good on paper but doesn’t translate to real pay, power, or opportunity. According to the Ghost Growth report from MyPerfectResume, a premium resume-building service, 65% of respondents say they’ve experienced superficial growth in their careers.
For many, professional development has become performative, with new responsibilities offered in place of promotions, raises, or meaningful recognition. Workers report being burned out, disillusioned, and in some cases, misled. Nearly half (49%) feel like they’ve hit a career plateau disguised as progress.
“The illusion of growth is becoming a real problem,” said Jasmine Escalera, Career Expert at MyPerfectResume. Employers are assigning more work without reward, checking boxes on development without follow-through, and creating environments where people feel stuck and frustrated. It’s not just demoralizing, it’s a retention risk.”
Key Findings:
- Employers are putting on a show: 66% believe their company engages in “growth theater,” offering surface-level development programs or symbolic gestures without meaningful outcomes.
- Broken promises are typical: 53% of employees report being promised a raise, promotion, or career opportunity that never materialized.
- Work without reward: 78% say they’ve been assigned new responsibilities without the pay increase or promotion that should come with them.
- Extra effort goes unnoticed: 70% of workers have taken on additional projects, hoping it would lead to advancement, only to receive no recognition or tangible reward.
Raises and recognition aren’t keeping up:
- 78% say they’ve been assigned new responsibilities without a promotion or raise.
- Just 15% say they received a raise in the past year tied to an increased workload.
- 35% say they’ve never received a raise that reflected a bigger role.
Broken promises are typical:
- 53% say they’ve been promised a promotion, raise, or opportunity that never came.
- 70% have taken on extra work or projects, hoping it would lead to growth, only to receive no recognition or reward.
- 68% have considered quitting due to fake or performative advancement.
The emotional impact is real:
- 23% feel frustrated, 20% burned out, and 13% say they feel trapped.
- 16% say the experience motivated them to start job hunting.
- 14% say they “often” feel like their development is just for show; 44% say it happens “sometimes.”
What workers really mean by “growth”
- 27% define growth as higher pay.
- 18% say it means better work-life balance.
- 16% say it means it has clear promotion paths
- 16% think growth means leadership opportunities.
- Only 8% say they equate growth with autonomy, emphasizing a desire for tangible rewards over symbolic ones.
Workplace pressure is driving the illusion:
- 52% say they feel pressure to appear like they’re growing, even when they’re not.
- 19% say this pressure comes from employers.
- 16% say it comes from social media or peers.
- 17% say both.
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