Competition Law in Labour Markets - UK & EU Trends & Developments

Introduction

In recent years, the application of competition law in labour markets has become an increasingly prominent issue, drawing attention from UK and European regulatory bodies and policymakers.

Areas of concern have been the prevalence of anti-competitive practices such as no-poaching agreements, wage fixing agreements and non-compete covenants particularly in the technology, communications, and professional services markets.

These restrictions have the potential to harm workers' rights and stifle competition.

Some are viewed as business cartels no different from classic cartel behaviour, however not every restriction is anti-competitive.

Regulators have been coming to terms with how they approach and prioritise their work in labour markets, including defining their policy more clearly where there may be a lack of clarity about how the rules apply to certain categories of worker, particularly with the development of the gig economy.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• CMA’s report on ‘Competition and Market Power in UK Labour Markets’ published on 25th January 2024 - Trends and Competition Challenges in the UK labour market.
• European developments on the application of competition law to labour markets c/f approach of US regulators
• CMA policy of applying competition law to anti-competitive labour practices including:
• no poaching agreements
• wage fixing agreements
• non-compete restrictions
• collective bargaining agreements
• How European regulators are approaching enforcement of similar restrictions
• Non-compete restrictions and the common law doctrine of restraint of trade
• Policy developments including UK Government’s proposed legislative initiatives on the duration of non-competes

This webinar was recorded on 20th May 2024

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