🇨🇴 Colombia · Employment & Labor
Hiring rules, employment contracts, payroll, social insurance, and EOR options.
Quick answer
Colombian employment under the Substantive Labour Code sets a national minimum wage plus a transport allowance, 15 working days' vacation, and mandatory benefits: a service premium (prima), severance savings (cesantías) with interest, and social security. Dismissal without just cause pays compensation, and disputes go to the labour courts.
Employment is governed by the Substantive Labour Code, overseen by the Ministry of Labour; a statutory minimum wage and social-security contributions apply.
- A statutory monthly minimum wage applies and is set annually.
- Employers enrol staff in health, pension and occupational-risk systems.
- Written contracts and statutory benefits (e.g. cesantías) apply.
Step-by-step
- 1
Get a written contract
Get a contract (indefinite, fixed-term or by-work); confirm salary, whether integral or ordinary, and the schedule.
- 2
Know your pay and hours rights
You must receive at least the minimum wage plus the transport allowance (below a threshold); the week is being reduced toward 42 hours, with overtime surcharges.
- 3
Understand mandatory benefits
You are entitled to 15 working days’ vacation, a semi-annual service premium (prima), and severance savings (cesantías) plus 12% annual interest.
- 4
Register for social security
You are enrolled in health (EPS), pension (AFP) and occupational-risk insurance.
- 5
Know the dismissal rules
Dismissal without just cause pays legal compensation based on salary and contract type; certain workers have reinforced stability.
- 6
Resolve disputes
Raise issues with the Ministry of Labour and, if unresolved, the labour courts.
Checklist
- Written contract (indefinite/fixed-term/by-work)
- Minimum wage + transport allowance
- Working week (moving to 42h) + overtime surcharges
- 15 working days' vacation + prima + cesantías (+12% interest)
- Health (EPS) + pension (AFP) + risk insurance
- Compensation on no-just-cause dismissal
- Anti-discrimination / reinforced-stability protections
- Dispute route (Ministry of Labour / labour courts)
Official authorities
- Ministry of Labour
Labour law and standards.
Frequently asked questions
What are cesantías?
A severance-savings benefit equal to about a month's pay per year, deposited annually into a fund and earning 12% interest.
What is the prima de servicios?
A mandatory service premium, about a month's pay a year, paid in two halves (June and December).
Is there a transport allowance?
Yes — employees earning up to a set threshold receive a monthly transport allowance on top of wages.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.