Why is it so difficult to find a job in the fashion industry? From ghost jobs to nightmare interviews, the jobs crisis is affecting everyone

Breaking into fashion is a bit like making a splash in vain. It’s no longer the impermeable industry it once was, but its tastes change so quickly that, to make an impact, you need to dive deep. And while in the past the main challenge for an aspiring professional was to break through the glass ceiling separating fashion (the glamorous and exclusive kind) from ordinary people, today the situation has changed. To work in the fashion industry, the most insidious obstacle is no longer inaccessibility, but market saturation. From America to the United Kingdom, people are talking about a crisis of entry-level jobs, meaning a decrease in job opportunities for those at the beginning of their careers. The problem doesn’t only affect fashion and is spreading across the Western world, forcing many young people to change careers.

The factors influencing this crisis in fashion are many and vary depending on the region and job sector. But let’s take it step by step.

The Internet and ghost job listings

Ghost jobs - fake job listings posted by real companies but never actually pursued - represent one of the hardest obstacles for those looking for their first job. On LinkedIn, premium accounts can keep a job application permanently open, something they often do to collect resumes from potential candidates. Some believe this is a tactic used by publicly traded companies to appear as if they are going through a particularly prosperous phase, although sometimes a ghost listing is simply the result of forgetfulness.

Ghost job listings are not only frustrating many young professionals, tired of sending dozens of resumes a day without ever receiving a response, but are also drawing the attention of governments, which in some cases are taking action to address the issue. Indeed, ghost listings are increasing year by year: according to a study by StandOut, in the United Kingdom in 2025, 34% of over 91,000 listings were fake. In Canada, starting January 1, 2026, the province of Ontario introduced Working for Workers, legislation that, among other things, aims to limit the number of ghost jobs in the region and improve transparency in the hiring process.

In the United States, the proposed law The Truth in Job Advertising & Accountability Act aims not only to require companies to remove job postings once they find the right candidate, but also to ensure they document all individuals interviewed for the role. In Italy, there are regulations that protect candidates during the hiring process, ensuring privacy and prohibiting discrimination. As for job postings, companies are required to publish real and truthful listings: misleading ads are considered an unfair commercial practice punishable by law - although ghost jobs still exist.

The shortage of job opportunities abroad

In England and the United States, unemployment rates are reaching high levels, especially among young people. The Guardian reports that in the UK unemployment is close to 5.2%, a figure that rises to 14% among under-24s, the highest in the past five years. In the US, the unemployment rate for young people aged 23 to 27 reached 4.6% last November, the highest rate in the past ten years, excluding the Covid pandemic, writes BoF. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of underemployment (workers employed part-time or below their skill level) has also reached concerning levels.

Despite this situation, there is a growing number of aspiring designers and creatives being pushed out of the fashion industry after short internships or due to overly demanding selection processes. BoF gives the example of a young graduate in fashion design (2024) who, after a brief experience in the field, is now considering opening a bar, discouraged by the difficulty of staying in the industry. The Guardian, on the other hand, reports several absurd job interviews, often not even for high-level positions in design studios. The worst example involves Inditex, the newspaper writes, which gathered twenty candidates for a 90-minute interview for a sales assistant role: among the tasks required were public speaking exercises, quizzes, and styling simulations.

And in Italy

Entering the fashion world has always been difficult in Italy, where the industry is largely concentrated in Milan, although there are now valid alternatives. A brief conversation with a recent graduate in fashion design or communication is enough to understand that, in addition to the usual concerns, mainly linked to the system’s accessibility, new issues have emerged. Calibre Careers, an agency that informs new talents about current demands in the creative market, explained the tensions complicating the situation: first of all - and this applies both in Italy and abroad - «you need experience to gain experience». Even for entry-level jobs, which should require only basic skills, employers often demand prior internships. This turns the job market into a vicious cycle, where it is difficult to gain enough experience not only to grow, but even just to get started.

Another issue concerns supply: in Milan alone there are more than twenty fashion schools, training hundreds of designers, photographers, stylists, and other creatives every year. «Schools are producing more talent than the industry can absorb,» says research by Calibre Careers. The team also adds that the global nature of the sector is another complication: while it has its advantages, it also makes Milan’s market increasingly diverse and therefore competitive. «Applications come from all over the world, and resumes are often rejected before even being read.»

What can schools do?

Although it may now seem easy to label every part of the fashion industry as hostile - from brands exploiting interns to schools that, despite high costs, fail to support students properly - there are isolated cases that offer some hope. With an alternative approach, some institutions manage to provide new talents with the foundations needed to build a career in fashion. One example comes from Italy, with Accademia Costume & Moda, which has established a dedicated internal placement office for students, proving effective so far. «As an independent academy, we can only rely on the quality of the experience,» says President Lupo Lanzara.

Despite the crisis leading to a general decline in job opportunities, Lanzara adds, companies continue to offer internships to graduates and students. This is confirmed by the institute’s placement rate, which currently averages 85%, with peaks of 100% for graduates in Fashion Business and master’s programs in Fashion Communication & Art Direction and Fashion Sustainability & Industry Evolution. Of course, these figures refer to activated internships, but the academy confirms that its Career Service supports students until they find a position, «through guidance, networking with companies, and assistance in finding the most suitable opportunities.»

What is influencing the fashion job market, Lanzara notes, is not only the gap between supply and demand or the effects of the crisis on the industry: the attitude of new generations toward work has also changed. Among young people, there is now a deeper critical awareness of brands and the activities they engage with, making them increasingly conscious of their choices. «I see this in the young people we work with as well,» he adds. «This ability to question existing dynamics represents an extremely positive and virtuous element for the future of the sector.»

And creatives?

One of the most common remarks directed at younger generations concerns their fluidity - sexual, identity-based, or professional. In English, the term used to describe someone who juggles multiple jobs is multi-hyphenate: a multifaceted professional, often in the creative industry, who is not satisfied with a single title. However, as confirmed by memes poking fun at the art director stereotype on Instagram, there is an increasing need for creatives to diversify their income streams just to stay afloat in a sector where interests and demands change daily.

So are collaborations the secret to surviving in the fashion industry? Freelancing and part-time work combined with side gigs? There is no single answer. As we now know, the path to success in fashion is never just one. In fact, it is often the more complex journeys, with detours and redirections, that lead to the greatest satisfaction.