The HRTech Wire

Record Traffic, Rising Noise: Why the 2026 ‘Spray and Pray’ Application Surge Is a Double-Edged Sword for Job Boards

Visits to the top 100 U.S. job boards hit 661.2 million in September 2026 — up 10% year-over-year — according to Similarweb data cited by Job Board Consulting, but analysts warn the surge is fuelled by AI-assisted "spray and pray" behaviour rather than genuine hiring demand, with Greenhouse reporting an average of 270 applicants per posting. The resulting ATS overload is pushing job board operators to rethink their value proposition around qualified candidate delivery rather than raw traffic volume.