It’s definitely possible to have non-competes in some cases in germany, but they come with a catch: the employer needs to pay the employee the (usually full) sa

It’s definitely possible to have non-competes in some cases in germany, but they come with a catch: the employer needs to pay the employee the (usually full) salary for the entire period, potentially reduced by any income from a job. And it needs to be negotiated in the work contract and cannot be unilaterally enforced after the fact. So generally speaking, they’re only worthwhile for people that have important company secrets.