Employers need to put together a strong team in Colombia to establish a company. However, recruiting and employing employees in Colombia also means meeting all employment laws to stay compliant. Here are a few things employers need to know about the employee hiring process.
Recruiting in Colombia
Hiring and recruiting in Colombia are complicated tasks that often require local expertise and support. Recruiting in the country leans heavily on recommendations, which can also help you save on recruiting expenses. If you end up hiring a candidate you like, encourage them to have their friends apply. Recommendations are a great way to fill your open positions, especially in sectors such as services, sales, and production.
If employers decide to leverage job boards when recruiting employees in Colombia, they will usually need to include the salary. Job boards highlight pay and may allow searchers to filter jobs by wage. Showcasing a competitive salary will help a company attract more job seekers and move the position to the top of the search.
One great place to find talent is at universities in Colombia. As these are some of the best educational institutions in Latin America, employers can find talented candidates roaming the campus. Some schools, such as Los Andes University and the University of Antioquia, are known for engineering, business, medicine, and agriculture.
Legal and background checks
While expanding a company to Colombia, employers must follow the correct recruiting laws. For example, employers cannot perform any kind of background check that could be considered discriminatory unless there is an objective justification. This policy bars HIV tests, pregnancy tests, and evaluations of diseases or disabilities.
Laws against discrimination in Colombia
Employers also cannot ask any discriminatory questions. For example, employers should generally not ask a candidate about their age, sexual orientation, civil status, or political opinions. These questions should only be used when strictly job-related, objectively justified, and necessary for a lawful purpose.
Employers can use background checks to confirm the potential employee’s immigration status and other qualifications. Other types of background checks may be allowed with the potential employee’s explicit consent. Results of the background check can’t be used to discriminate against the candidate.
How to hire employees in Colombia
Hiring starts with creating a written employment contract that includes the terms and conditions of employment. Any probationary period should be agreed in writing and state its duration. For indefinite-term contracts, it is usually limited to two months. Salary and compensation should be listed in COP.
Probationary periods in Colombia are 2 months maximum for indefinite-term contracts and must be agreed in writing. For fixed-term contracts, the probationary period cannot exceed one-fifth (20%) of the agreed term. It is capped at 2 months.
Colombia employment laws
The main sources for employment compliance are the Constitution, the Substantive Labour Code, and the Social Security Regime. Employers may also need to follow occupational health and safety rules, Ministry of Labor regulations, applicable collective or internal work rules, and relevant court decisions. The maximum ordinary working hours an employee can work per week is 44 from July 2025. This will reduce to 42 hours from July 2026, under the gradual reduction from the former 48-hour limit. Employees cannot work more than 2 extra hours each day or 12 extra hours each week. For each daytime extra hour employees work, they receive an additional 25% of their hourly salary on top of base pay. Nighttime overtime is paid with a 75% surcharge. Ordinary night work, from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., has a 35% surcharge. Sunday or public holiday work has a 75% surcharge, with higher combined rates when overtime also applies.
Employers in Colombia typically pay their employees monthly. More casual employees are paid bi-weekly. Colombia employment compliance also mandates that employers give employees a pay slip and that they get a minimum wage of COP 1,160,000 each month, as of January 2023.
Onboarding in Colombia
Once you establish your subsidiary and hire employees in Colombia, you’ll need a streamlined process through which to onboard them. It is often best to start the onboarding process by going over the terms of the employment contract. You can also mention areas such as working hours and code of conduct expectations.
Although it might require extensive travel time, try to fly back and forth to Colombia throughout the hiring process to create a bond with your new hires. It may also be beneficial to send another person from management to Colombia for a new hire’s first day.
Benefits of using an employer of record in Colombia
When you partner with G-P, we help you find the top talent that will grow your company. Finding the best employees is especially crucial to get a new business in a new country off the ground.
You’ll also need extensive knowledge of employment compliance in Colombia to pay employees on time and make sure you are within every law. If you do not have the time or money to learn these ins and outs, G-P can help. Our industry-leading platform and team of in-region specialists make it quick and easy to hire your ideal candidates compliantly.
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