This little trick is being used by lots of companies lately in an attempt to offset the negative press they're getting for layoffs. Don't think for one second management is above advertising jobs that don't exist.
People who apply are led along the garden path for months then quietly told they aren't suitable, but only after the company made sure the world knows "they're hiring."
They post fake job openings so they can justify getting H1Bs. They post an opening wait a while and then argue they couldn't find a candidate so they can get a foreign candidate
This is bad. They are not only playing with candidate's emotions but also wasting their own time and resources.
why LIFO? what if they are doing well and also dont cost much.
Fully agree! If a comp is preparing layoff (which is the case of QCOM, more are coming), some people are made redundant in advance. Their positions are opened again as "fake", so give the impression as though everything is fine, so that people don't feel bad. It's just a tactical stuff. I bet they won't hire for any of the positions open now. If any, these will be new employees with very low salary. And when layoff comes, they are on LIFO (last in first out)