[marcinzm]

>That's (fortunately) illegal in the EU country I live in, as it creates artificial barriers in the job "market", i.e. it is illegal to limit people's access to work. Still, cartel practices like not hiring from "friendly companies" abound.

Interesting. I've heard of EU countries where leaving a job requires giving 2+ months of notice or paying a large financial penalty.

[distances]

Yes, it's usually three months in Germany. It's a bit on the long side but I don't mind that much. I guess I've been lucky to have only nice working environments so I've never been in any particular hurry to leave.