- Manish Jain
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If your customer support runs from Colombia, you may already have heard from your provider about costs. That is not a coincidence. The Colombia labor reform, Law 2466 of 2025, is changing working hours, night pay and Sunday surcharges in stages through 2027, and those changes reach every contact center in the country.
None of this makes Colombia a poor choice. It remains one of the strongest nearshore markets for bilingual support. However, the reform does change how coverage should be planned and priced. This guide explains what the Colombia labor reform changed, how each change affects call center costs and what U.S. companies can do to keep coverage on budget.
What the Labor Reform Changed
President Gustavo Petro signed Law 2466 on June 25, 2025. Several of its changes phase in over time, and four of them matter most for Colombia call center services: the length of the work week, the start of night hours, the Sunday and holiday surcharge and contract rules.
| Change | What it means | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Shorter work week | The legal maximum fell to 44 hours, then to 42 hours a week | 44 hours from July 15, 2025; 42 hours from July 15, 2026 |
| Earlier night hours | Night work now runs from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., instead of starting at 9 p.m. | December 25, 2025 |
| Higher Sunday and holiday surcharge | The surcharge on rest-day work rises in three steps | 80% from July 1, 2025; 90% from July 1, 2026; 100% from July 1, 2027 |
| Contract rules | Indefinite-term contracts become the general rule; fixed-term contracts must be written and are capped at four years | June 25, 2025 |
The dates above come from Garrigues’ summary of the law and Deloitte Colombia’s July 2026 legal alert, which also confirms the 90% surcharge and the 42-hour week from July 2026. Because the law is detailed, confirm how each rule applies to your program with your provider and legal counsel.
How Each Change Affects Call Center Costs
Contact centers feel the reform differently from most employers, because they often run long hours, evenings and weekends. As a result, each change lands on a specific part of the schedule.
The 42-Hour Week Means More People for the Same Coverage
A shorter week means each agent covers fewer hours. For example, keeping one seat staffed around the clock takes 168 hours a week. At 44 hours per agent, that is about 3.8 full-time agents; at 42 hours, it is 4.0. In other words, the same coverage needs roughly 5% more paid agent hours, before breaks, training and leave.
Earlier Night Hours Affect U.S. Afternoon Coverage
Night pay now starts at 7 p.m. Colombia runs on UTC-5 all year, so 7 p.m. in Colombia is 7 p.m. Eastern in winter and 8 p.m. Eastern in summer. Therefore, evening shifts that cover U.S. afternoons and early evenings, particularly for West Coast customers, now include more premium-paid hours than before.
Sunday and Holiday Work Costs More Every Year
Weekend coverage is where the reform bites hardest over time. In a 24/7 program, Sundays account for about one-seventh of all hours. As an illustration, raising the Sunday surcharge from 80% to 100% adds about 20% of base pay to those hours, which works out to roughly 3% of base labor cost for a round-the-clock seat by July 2027, before holidays.
These figures are illustrative and cover base labor only. Total pricing also includes supervision, technology, facilities and margin, so the effect on your rate will be smaller in percentage terms, yet still real.
The Other Cost Driver: The 2026 Minimum Wage
The reform is not the only change. According to Portafolio, Colombia’s monthly minimum wage for 2026 is COP 1,750,905, a 23% increase, plus a transport allowance of COP 249,095 for eligible workers. The increase faces legal challenges before the Council of State, but the Ministry of Labor says it remains in force while the court decides.
Most contact center agents earn above the minimum wage, yet a large minimum wage increase tends to lift pay scales across the market. So when a provider explains a rate change, ask how much comes from the minimum wage, how much from the reform and how much from other factors.
How to Judge a Rate-Increase Request
A fair request linked to the Colombia labor reform should be specific and traceable. Before you agree, ask your provider to show the following.
- Which changes apply: the 42-hour week, night hours, Sunday surcharge, minimum wage or a combination.
- Which hours are affected: a request that applies one percentage to every hour, including weekday daytime, deserves questions.
- The calculation: how the provider moved from the legal change to the proposed rate.
- Timing: whether increases match the legal effective dates, rather than arriving early.
- Currency effects: kept separate, since the peso floats against the dollar.
In practice, a transparent provider will welcome these questions. In contrast, a vague answer is a sign that the request bundles other cost changes with the reform.
Five Ways to Keep Coverage on Budget
The reform raises some costs, but smart planning can contain them. Here are five practical options.
1. Redesign Shifts Around the New Night Window
Review when evening volume actually arrives. If demand drops after a certain hour, adjust shift ends so fewer hours fall into the premium window. Conversely, if evening volume is high, staff it deliberately rather than paying premiums on poorly planned coverage.
2. Match Weekend Staffing to Real Demand
Many programs staff Sundays out of habit. Instead, use contact data to set Sunday staffing precisely, and move non-urgent work such as email backlogs to weekdays where possible.
3. Use Self-Service for Off-Peak Hours
Order status, password resets and simple account questions can often be handled by self-service or messaging with next-day follow-up. That reduces the premium-paid hours you need without leaving customers stranded.
4. Add a Labor-Law Clause to Your Contract
Rather than negotiating each change separately, agree on a clause that explains how legally mandated labor costs pass through to pricing, with documentation and timing. Keep it separate from currency and from general rate reviews, so each discussion stays clear.
5. Balance Coverage Across Countries
Finally, consider where each part of your coverage runs best. Colombia remains strong for bilingual daytime and evening support. Meanwhile, a dollarized location such as El Salvador, which operates under a different labor framework, can add weekend or overflow capacity. Our comparison of El Salvador vs Colombia for nearshore BPO explains how the two markets differ.
Questions to Ask Your Colombian Provider
- How has the 42-hour week changed staffing for my program?
- Which of my scheduled hours now fall in the 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. night window?
- How much of my Sunday and holiday coverage is affected by the surcharge increases?
- How did you calculate any proposed rate change, and which legal dates apply?
- What shift or coverage changes would you recommend to control costs?
- How will future changes, such as the 100% Sunday surcharge in July 2027, be handled?
If you are building a new program rather than renewing one, our guide on how to build a customer support team in Colombia covers hiring, training and launch steps.
Plan Your Colombia Coverage for 2026 and 2027
Share your coverage hours, weekend volume and channel mix. We will show which hours the reform affects and outline shift and site options to keep service levels on budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Colombia’s 42-hour work week start?
The legal maximum fell to 42 hours a week on July 15, 2026, after dropping to 44 hours on July 15, 2025.
When does night work start in Colombia now?
Under Law 2466, night work runs from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., effective December 25, 2025. Previously, night hours started at 9 p.m.
How much is the Sunday surcharge in Colombia?
It rose to 80% in July 2025 and 90% on July 1, 2026, and it reaches 100% on July 1, 2027.
Does the Colombia labor reform affect outsourcing contracts?
It affects the provider’s labor costs, so many providers are reviewing rates. Whether and how that reaches your price depends on your contract terms.
Is Colombia still a good nearshore location?
Yes. Colombia offers scale, bilingual talent and U.S.-aligned hours. The reform changes how coverage should be planned and priced, not whether Colombia works.
Plan the Hours, Not Just the Rate
Ultimately, the Colombia labor reform rewards companies that plan coverage carefully. Understand which hours the changes affect, ask for transparent calculations and adjust shifts, weekend staffing and site mix where it makes sense. Done well, Colombian support stays high quality and on budget through 2027 and beyond.
