Editorial Board
Too Many Workers Are Trapped By Non-Competes
Employers shouldn’t get away with limiting their options.
Human capital.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North AmericaWhy have wages been so slow to rise at a time when demand for workers has pushed the U.S. unemployment rate to its lowest point in nearly half a century? One answer: contracts that tie millions of unspecialized workers to their jobs.
In far too many cases, these so-called noncompetes are an unwarranted restriction on freedom to transact and a drag on growth. If Congress won’t act to narrow their scope, states should take the lead.