Mergers and the labor market

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity represents an increasingly important phenomenon in many countries. At the same time, antitrust enforcement in M&A cases has become increasingly lenient over time. The impact of M&As on product market concentration, product market power, prices, and consumer welfare has received much attention in academic and policy debates. Recently, concerns about the lack of competition in labor markets and the impact of M&A activity on labor market concentration have also been raised in both policy debates and economic research.