How Joe Biden's order on noncompetes could make it easier to quit your job

Joe Biden has sent a clear message to businesses: Make it easier for workers to quit — or the government will do it for you.

The president's July 9 executive order takes aim at an increasingly common and oft-criticized feature of the labor market: noncompete agreements. Under these restrictive agreements, which cover an estimated one-fifth to one-half of private-sector workers, employees give up future work in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job.  Now, Mr. Biden has directed the Federal Trade Commission to "curtail the unfair use" of such agreements and any others "that may unfairly limit worker mobility."