LISBON, March 30, 2026 — Portugal’s Autoridade da Concorrência said the country’s competition court has confirmed a €3.09 million fine imposed on companies in the Inetum Group for participating in anti-competitive agreements in the labour market.
The ruling by the Tribunal da Concorrência, Regulação e Supervisão fully upheld the authority’s decision sanctioning three Inetum companies for entering into “no-poach” agreements with competitors.
According to the authority’s investigation, Inetum took part in bilateral arrangements between March 2014 and August 2021 under which competing technology consulting firms agreed not to recruit or make unsolicited job offers to each other’s employees.
The court classified the infringement as “very serious,” noting that the practices affected a labour market for highly skilled professionals where specialised technical talent is limited and demand is high. The judgment emphasised that labour mobility is a key driver of efficiency and innovation in the economy.
Authorities said the agreements restricted competition for talent by limiting workers’ ability to change employers and weakening their bargaining power, potentially affecting wages, career progression and working conditions.
The case marks the first judicial confirmation in Portugal of a fine imposed for anti-competitive conduct in labour markets.
The investigation began in 2022 after the authority detected indications of similar practices in the technology consulting sector. In the same case, three other companies had already been fined a combined €4.08 million after cooperating with the investigation through a settlement procedure.
The regulator said tackling anti-competitive practices in labour markets has been a priority since 2020, reflecting concerns that such conduct can harm workers, reduce innovation and undermine the efficient allocation of skilled labour across the economy.
