Ghost Watch: The Mid-Tier Transparency Cluster

The Mid-Tier Cluster

The current dataset of 28 graded US employers on the JobCop ledger reveals a distinct pattern: heavy clustering in the middle of the evaluation scale. The average transparency score across all tracked US employers on the ledger currently sits at 57.1 out of 100.

What defines this week's data is the number of companies sitting at the exact same score. Betr, Inductivehealth, Relativity, and Anaplan all share a transparency score of 57 on the lower-graded side of the ledger. On the higher-graded side, Rocketship, Epsilon3, Lyft, Kayak, and Asana also hold a score of 57. When nine distinct employers across different market segments carry the exact same score of 57 out of 100, it highlights a structural baseline across the hiring market. Candidates applying to these organizations are entering recruiting pipelines that perform at nearly identical levels of transparency.

The Spread: From Yieldmo to Figma

Outside the central cluster of 57s, the overall score distribution spans fifteen points, running from a low of 52 to a high of 67.

Yieldmo sits at the bottom of the ledger with a transparency score of 52 out of 100. Goalbookapp 2 ranks just above it, recording a transparency score of 54 out of 100. These lower scores indicate weaker performance across core evaluation pillars like responsiveness, reliability, and candidate sentiment.

On the upper end of the ledger, Figma occupies the top position among the 28 graded US employers, recording a transparency score of 67 out of 100. While 67 is the highest mark in the current dataset, it shows that even top-ranking employers operate well below an ideal transparency mark. Additionally, Stone has recently been added to the system as a newly verified employer.

Reading the Weekly Activity Data

Over the past seven days, the number of anonymous candidate reports filed on the ledger stood at 0. Similarly, the number of cases opened with Dep in the last seven days stood at 0.

A week with 0 candidate reports filed and 0 cases opened does not mean candidate ghosting has vanished. With a market average score of 57.1 out of 100, application drop-offs and unreturned inquiries remain the baseline norm. The absence of new weekly reports simply highlights that candidates often abandon silent applications rather than documenting the drop-off.

Practical Steps for Applicants

When applying to employers with scores ranging between 52 and 67, candidates must manage their expectations and timeline discipline. Treat employer scores as operational signals for how long to wait before redirecting your effort.

• Track your application dates carefully when applying to low-scoring employers like Yieldmo (52) or Goalbookapp 2 (54).
• Limit your post-application waiting period to 10-14 business days for employers in the 57 score cluster, such as Betr, Relativity, Anaplan, Lyft, Kayak, or Asana.
• Keep an eye on newly verified employers like Stone to see how their metrics settle over time.
• Prioritize high-scoring employers like Figma (67) for proactive follow-ups, but maintain active applications elsewhere.

Relying on candidate hope is not a strategy when average market transparency sits at 57.1 out of 100.

Check the Live Transparency Ledger at https://jobcop.app/ledger and file a report at https://jobcop.app/patrol.