Colombia: New labor reform approved to promote decent work, strengthen rights and regulate new forms of employment

Law 2466 of 2025 amends the Colombian Labor Code, Law 50 of 1990, Law 789 of 2002, and other regulations, with the purpose of promoting decent work, guaranteeing labor rights, encouraging formalization, regulating new forms of employment, and protecting the most vulnerable groups.

• Fundamental Principles and Scope:
  
  The law reinforces principles already provided by the Constitution such as equal opportunities, fair remuneration, job stability, unwaivability of minimum rights, application of the most favorable rule to the employee, primacy of reality over contractual forms, guarantee of social security, and special protection for women, minors, and rural employee. It promotes social dialogue, corporate responsibility, and the eradication of discrimination and violence at work.
• Employment Agreements: Changes and New Rules:
  • Non-fixed-term employment agreement: It is ratified as the general rule for engaging employees.
  • Fixed-term employment agreement: must be in writing and its maximum duration will be 4 years including the initial terms and its renewals. New rules are established regarding agreed and automatic renewals.
  • Agreements for specific tasks or duty: Must be in writing and specify the task or labor. It will be possible to add the agreed the task or duty, as well as to agree on a new work.
  • The accidental or temporary contract was not modified.
• Disciplinary Procedure: 
  
  A detailed procedure is established for imposing disciplinary sanctions, in such procedure the employee must be informed in writing of the initiation of the disciplinary process and of the charges filed; likewise, the employee must have access to the evidence and have at least 5 days to present their defense. If the employee is unionized, it may be accompanied by union representatives who are employees of the same company.
  
  This procedure does not apply to domestic employees or to micro and small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, which only need to hear the employee beforehand.
  
  Companies must amend their internal work regulations to introduce changes to the disciplinary process within 12 months following the entry into force of the law
• Working Hours, Schedules, and Rest:
  • Maximum working hours: 8 hours per day and 44 weekly hours as of July 15,2025, which will be reduced to 42 weekly hours as of July 15,2026, and that can be distributed over 5 or 6 days, guaranteeing one day of rest. The number of daily working hours may be distributed in a variable manner.
  • Night work: The night shift is redefined as of Decemeber 25, 2025 and will start at 7:00 p.m. and will end at 6:00 a.m.
  • Overtime: The requirement to request an authorization before the Ministry of Labor for overtime is eliminated. If the employer does not pay overtime, the Ministry of Labor may suspend the employer's right to work overtime for 6 months.
  • Surcharge for work on mandatory rest days: The surcharge increases gradually from 75% to 100%:
    • 80% as of July 1, 2025.
    • 90% as of July 1, 2026.
    • 100% as of July 1, 2027.
  • Mandatory rest day: The parties can agree that the mandatory rest day can be any day of the week instead of Sunday.
  • Family day: becomes optional for employers.
  • Restriction on adolescent working hours are eliminated.
  • The employer’s registration of overtime is simplified.
  • An employee with family caregiving responsibilities may request a flexible schedule or a change in the services modality, which must be answered by the employer within 15 business days
• Telecommuting:
  
  Autonomous, mobile, and supplementary telecommuting (now called hybrid) are maintained. The modalities of transnational and temporary/emergency telecommuting are introduced as new categories.
  
  Telecommuters earning less than 2 legal monthly minimum wages (SMLMV) will receive a connectivity allowance, equivalent to the transportation allowance.
  
  In transnational telecommuting, the employer must hire an insurance that covers health care benefits, and labor risk administrators (ARL) will provide coverage with the possibility of charging the employer for additional policies.
• Paid Leave and New Rights:
  
  Additional paid leaves are included:
  • Attendance to urgent or specialist medical appointments.
  • Fulfilling school obligations as a guardian.
  • Judicial, administrative, and legal summons.
  • Optional rest day for every 6 months in which the employee uses a bicycle as a means of transportation to work.
• Simplified Labor Engagement Regime:
  
  It creates the possibility to agree upon and pay severance and interest on severance on a monthly basis through the PILA social security contribution payment platform.
• Inclusion and Protection of Vulnerable Groups:
  • Mandatory hiring quota for people with disabilities: Companies with 100 or more employees must hire 2 people with disabilities for every 100 employees. As of 500 employees, the quota will be 1 person with a disability for every 100 employees.
  • Reasonable adjustments: The employer must remove barriers and implement accommodation to ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities.
  • Protection for victims of violence: Preference for relocation is granted to women who are victims of partner or domestic violence.
• Publication of Internal Work Regulations:
  
  The employer must publish the internal regulations in physical form in 2 different locations and virtually. For additional workplaces, virtual publication will be possible
• Apprenticeship Agreement and Monetization of the Quota:
  • Apprenticeship agreement: It becomes a special employment contract.
    • Learning stage: The apprentice’s allowance will be 75% of the SMLMV during the learning stage, and the employer must pay health and occupational risk contributions.
    • Practical stage: The apprentice’s allowance will be 100% of the SMLMV, and the employer must pay contributions to health, pension, and occupational risks. The apprentice will be entitled to statutory benefits and transportation allowance.
  • Monetization of the apprenticeship  quota: 1.5 SMLMV for each apprentice not hired.
• Prohibition of Discrimination and Workplace Violence:
  
  Discrimination based on gender, identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, politics, disability, mental health, pregnancy, or status as a victim of violence is expressly prohibited. Mechanisms for prevention, care, and reparation in cases of violence and workplace harassment are reinforced, including the obligation for protocols and committees within companies.
• Regulation of Work on Digital Delivery Platforms
  
  Hiring through digital delivery platforms is authorized, either as dependent employees and as independent/autonomous. In the latter case, exclusivity cannot be required, and the contribution base is 40% of income, with the company assuming 100% of the contributions to occupational risks.
  
  Platforms must inform about automated supervision and decision-making systems and must register with the Ministry of Labor quarterly reporting the number and type of active employees.
• Labor Formalization and Social Security in Micro-companies and Households:
  
  Part-time social security contributions are allowed for micro companies and households, with weeks computed at the end of each month. Vulnerable sectors are prioritized, and incentives are established for formalization and access to credit.
• Benefits for Job Creation and Inclusion Programs:
  • CREA EMPLEO: A benefit is created for employers who create new jobs for women, youth, and people over 50 years old, with a subsidy of up to 25% of an SMLMV for each new job for 6 months, subject to national unemployment conditions.
  • First and last job programs: Programs are implemented to facilitate the labor insertion of newly graduated youth and older adults.
• Outsourcing, Subcontracting, and Staffing Services Companies:
  
  Outsourcing and engagement of staffing services companies is still permitted.
• Other Relevant Provisions:
  • Statute of limitation: The period to claim labor rights remains at 3 years.
  • Formalization of domestic and rural work: The obligation to formalize domestic work is reinforced, with special protection for rural and peasant women’s work.
  • Inclusion of migrants: Equality of labor rights is guaranteed for foreign employees, regardless of their migration status.
  • Training and employability programs: The training and certification of rural knowledge and the employability of people deprived of liberty, reintegrated, and reincorporated are promoted.

Enforceability

• Changes in apprenticeship agreement, fixed-term agreements, overtime authorization and update of internal working rules: June 25, 2025
• Changes in nighttime: December 25, 2025
• Increase in Sunday surcharge: 80% (July 1, 2025) / 90% (July 1, 2026) / 100% (July1 , 2027)
• Obligation to hire employees with disabilities: July 1, 2026