diff --git a/backend/controller/dal/dal.go b/backend/controller/dal/dal.go
index 813762dd49..98532934f3 100644
--- a/backend/controller/dal/dal.go
+++ b/backend/controller/dal/dal.go
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@ func (d *DAL) StartCronJobs(ctx context.Context, jobs []CronJob) (attemptedJobs
 		return nil, translatePGError(err)
 	}
 
-	attemptedJobs = make([]AttemptedCronJob, len(rows))
+	attemptedJobs = []AttemptedCronJob{}
 	for _, row := range rows {
 		job := AttemptedCronJob{
 			CronJob: CronJob{