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ARTICLE · 24 SEPTEMBER 2025

Competing For Talent: What Employers Need To Know

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On 9 September 2025, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its "Competing for Talent" guidance (the Guidance), together with some brief...

United KingdomAntitrust/Competition Law
Greg Dowell
Greg Dowell
Fiona Beattie
Fiona Beattie
Kayleigh Leonie
Kayleigh Leonie

HR and employment practices continue to be a focus for UK and EU competition authorities. Following its first finding of infringement for anticompetitive conduct in the labour markets, the CMA has issued further guidance for businesses on this important topic. However, as we explore in this article, some material uncertainties persist.

On 9 September 2025, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its "Competing for Talent" guidance (the Guidance), together with some brief "lessons" from the CMA's recent decision concerning information exchanges between a number of sports TV production and broadcast companies on freelancer pay. The Guidance is the most substantial statement to date from the CMA on the interface between competition law and labour markets. It expands on the CMA's very high-level 2023 "advice for employers" – setting out how competition law applies to HR issues, and providing some do's and don'ts for businesses to follow when

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