In accordance with the Labor Reform (Law 2466), enacted on June 25, 2025, by the Republic of Colombia´s Congress, Article 10 introduces an amendment to Article 160 of the Substantive Labor Code - as its acronym in Spanish - CST, redefining the provisions related to the workday schedule.
The amendment establishes the following:
I. Daytime work: work is performed between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
II. Nighttime work: work was performed between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day.
Paragraph 2 states that this change will take six months after the law is passed. Therefore, as of December 25, 2025, the nighttime surcharge must be applied starting at 7:00 p.m.
See: Documento anexo en formato pdf.
Reduction in Minimum Pension Contribution Weeks for Women
Through Law 2381 of 2024, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia established that, beginning in January 2026, the minimum number of contribution weeks required for women to qualify for a pension will be reduced. In the public pension system administered by Colpensiones, the requirement will decrease from 1.300 to 1.250 weeks, while in private pension funds, it will be reduced from 1.150 to 1.135 weeks.
This reduction is part of a progressive decrease that will continue each year until it reaches 1,000 weeks by 2036, thereby facilitating access to the old-age pension.
See: Documento anexo en formato pdf.
Purpose-Driven Labor Inspections by the Ministry of Labor
On November 7, 2025, Resolution 4179 was issued, which incorporated a differential, intersectional, and gender-based approach through the Ministry of Labor. This means it recognizes and addresses specific situations of vulnerability, discrimination, gender-based violence, racism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination that may occur in the workplace.
Through purpose-driven inspections, the Ministry of Labor aims to:
I. Strengthen the protection of workers’ human and labor rights.
II. More effectively verify compliance with labor and social security regulations.
III. Identify and address workplace violence, discrimination, harassment, rights violations, threats to freedom of association, among other behaviors.
IV. Apply differentiated treatment to vulnerable groups (persons with disabilities, women, ethnic groups, rural workers, etc.) through a gender-sensitive and equality-focused approach.
Labor inspections may be conducted without prior notice and may be carried out by a specialized team, including an elite group with a differential and gender-focused approach.
See: Documento anexo en formato pdf.
Jobs for Life Program
On October 30, 2025, Resolution 4154 was issued by the Ministry of Labor, which develops and regulates part of the Jobs for Life Program.
This program aims to promote the creation of new formal jobs in Colombia by providing economic subsidies to employers who increase their workforce under formal and verifiable conditions.
Its main objective is to ensure that State resources reach people who face the most significant difficulties in accessing the labor market, guaranteeing an equitable, targeted, and fair distribution of the incentive.
Beneficiaries and prioritization criteria:
I. Persons with disabilities have not contributed to social security in the last 4 months or have been beneficiaries of the Unemployment Protection Mechanism.
II. Young people between 18 and 28 years old, under the same conditions of recent non-contribution, or who have been beneficiaries of the unemployment mechanism.
III. Women over 28 years old earning up to three current legal monthly minimum wages - as its acronym in Spanish - (SMMLV) in the previous conditions.
IV. Men over 28 years old earning up to three SMMLV, also under the same prioritization conditions.
V. In a second evaluation round, individuals will be prioritized in the following order: persons with disabilities, young adults aged 18–28, women over 28 earning ≤ 3 SMMLV, and men over 28 earning ≤ 3 SMMLV.
See: Documento anexo en formato pdf.
Payment of Mandatory Employment Benefits
We invite you to keep in mind the following labor obligations for the close of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, which are detailed below:
I. Legal Bonus: Deadline for payment to employees is before December 20, 2025.
II. Severance Interest: Deadline for payment to employees is before January 30, 2026.
III. Severance Deposit: Deadline for deposit into severance funds is before February 13, 2026.
IV. Provision of Work Clothing/Equipment: For eligible employees, this provision must be delivered before December 19, 2025.
It is essential to consider that failure to make timely payments may result in:
1. Judicial claims.
2. Payment of default interest.
3. Fines imposed by the Ministry of Labor.
The content of this newsletter is merely informative, that´s why it cannot be used under any circumstances as advice on the matter described in it. If you need advice on any of the aspects discussed, our team of professionals will be willing to assist you. contacto@jadelrio.com
