Labor reform in Colombia: main changes and how they impact foreign companies

Labor reform in Colombia continues transforming the business and labor landscape of the country. For foreign companies, international subsidiaries and business groups with operations in Colombia, these changes imply new challenges in terms of hiring, labor costs, regulatory compliance and internal management.

Beyond a simple legal update, the new regulations modify key aspects related to working hours, surcharges, teleworking, hiring and disciplinary processes, generating a direct impact on the operational and financial structure of companies.

Permanent contract as a general rule

One of the most relevant changes is the strengthening of the indefinite term contract as the main modality for permanent activities of the company.

Fixed-term contracts or contracts for work and labor continue to exist, but are limited mainly to activity.occasional, temporary or specific ades.

This change forces many companies to review their current hiring schemes to avoid risks of job reclassification or possible legal contingencies.

Changes in the night shift and Sunday work

The reform introduces important modifications in salary surcharges:

• The night shift now begins at 6:00 p.m. and ends at 6:00 a.m.
• The surcharge for work on Sundays and holidays is progressively increased until it reaches 100%.

Progressive application:

• July 2025: 80%
• July 2026: 90%
• July 2027: 100%

This increase also coincides with the gradual reduction of the maximum legal working day in Colombia, which means a significant increase in labor costs for companies with continuous operations or rotating shifts.

Reduction of the maximum legal working day

Law 2101 of 2021 continues to advance in the progressive reduction of the weekly working day.

Before July 15, 2026, companies must adjust your operations to a maximum working day of 42 hours per week without salary reduction for workers.

This forces many companies to rethink:

• schedules,
• shifts,
• productivity,
• additional hiring,
• and operational planning.

Teleworking and the right to disconnect from work

Companies that operate under teleworking schemes They also face new obligations.

The regulations toughen aspects related to:

• provision of work tools,
• coverage of certain associated expenses,
• respect for the right to disconnect from work,
• and control of communications outside the agreed schedule.

Constant communications outside of work hours could even be construed as violations related to workplace harassment or unrecognized overtime.

Protection of migrant workers

The reform also incorporates greater guarantees for foreign workers.

The legislation prohibits denying labor or social security rights for immigration reasons and reinforces the need to properly formalize employment contracts as part of the regularization and visa processes.

For international companies, this means strengthen immigration and labor compliance controls in their hiring processes.

Mandatory hiring quota for people with disabilities

Another relevant change is the new obligation to hire people with disabilities for private companies with more than 100 permanent workers.

This measure will begin to be applied from June 2026 and establishes mandatory minimum quotas depending on the size of the payroll.

Companies must prepare in advance to correctly comply with this new regulatory requirement.

Greater rigor in disciplinary processes and dismissals

The reform also tightens internal procedures related to sanctions and dismissals.

Companies must adequately document:

• internal investigations,
• disciplinary procedures,
• communications to the worker,
• and guarantees of due process.

A dismissal carried out without correct compliance with the procedure could be considered judicially null and void.

What should companies do now?

Given this new scenario, companies operating in Colombia should:

• review your employment contracts,
• audit teleworking schemes,
• analyze the financial impact of the new surcharges,
• update internal regulations,
• reinforce disciplinary processes,
• and evaluate future compliance with the new mandatory quotas.

Therefore, have specialized labor advice It will be key to minimize risks and correctly adapt the operation to the new Colombian labor regulations. So, at UR Global we are ready to advise you on this issue so that your company in Colombia does not have problems in the future.