The Right to Switch Jobs Shouldn't Be Up for Debate

A recent ruling challenges a growing global trend: companies using contracts to trap workers.

- Sanjeev Sirohi

Across the world, employers are tightening their grip on workers.

In the United States, non-compete agreements have come under fire for limiting job mobility and suppressing wages. In Europe, courts are questioning whether companies can enforce long-term restrictions on where employees can work after they leave. And now, in India, a landmark judgment has added its voice to this growing push-back against employment contracts that trap people.

The Delhi High Court has ruled decisively: workers cannot be forced to choose between returning to their old jobs or staying unemployed.

The case involved Varun Tyagi, a software engineer who had worked on India's critical POSHAN Tracker—a government project aimed at improving child nutrition.