US: FTC & DOJ release guidance fon how antitrust law applies to employee hiring

Today, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued guidance for human resource professionals and others who are involved in hiring and compensation decisions. HR professionals are often in the best position to ensure their companies’ hiring practices comply with the law and this guidance will help educate and inform them about how the antitrust laws apply to the employment arena.

Workers are entitled to the benefits of a competitive market for their services. They are harmed if companies that would ordinarily compete against each other to recruit and retain employees agree to fix wages or other terms of employment or enter into so-called “no-poaching” agreements by agreeing not to recruit each other’s employees.

Going forward, the Justice Department intends to criminally investigate naked no-poaching or wage-fixing agreements that are unrelated or unnecessary to a larger legitimate collaboration between the employers. These types of agreements eliminate competition in the same irredeemable way as agreements to fix the prices of goods or allocate customers, which have traditionally been criminally investigated and prosecuted as hardcore cartel conduct. Agreements that do not constitute criminal violations may still lead to civil liability under statutes enforced by both agencies.

Full Content: Federal Trade Commission

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.