Competition policy in labour markets

Résumé

While competition policy has traditionally focused primarily on product markets, the recent years have seen an increased interest among competition enforcers in the labour markets. The US Department of Justice famously undertook antitrust action against several Silicon Valley companies for alleged anti-poaching agreements. In the European Union, the Commission has recently published a policy brief entitled “Antitrust in Labour Markets” reflecting its interest in this area. Several European competition authorities, including the Autorité de la concurrence, have issued decisions applying competition law to the labour market or are conducting similar investigations. Against this backdrop, the current presentation will discuss the rationale for, and the challenges of, antitrust intervention in labour markets.