No-show job

A no-show job is a paid position that ostensibly requires the holder to perform duties, but for which no work, or even attendance, is actually expected.

The awarding of no-show jobs is a form of political or corporate corruption.

In 17th and 18th century British naval history, the practice of ship time was a form of a no-show job, in which the (usually young) son of a wealthy individual was registered on a ship's records, but did not go to sea or perform any duties, to gain and advance seniority and standing within the navy, in which preference was based principally upon time served and seniority.

Another form of no-show job of this era was the widow's man, an absent or non-existent seaman whose name had been entered in the ship's books, his pay and share of any prize money being donated to the Greenwich Hospital, the widow of a seaman killed in action, or a fund for naval widows.

See also

• Emeritus, academia
• Minister without portfolio
• Sinecure