Colombia will lower its standard workweek to 42 hours from July 2026. Salaries and benefits remain unchanged, but overtime thresholds and shift planning will be affected. Employers must adapt schedules to comply.
Colombia will implement a significant change to its labour regulations from 15 July 2026, as the legal maximum workweek drops from 44 to 42 hours. This adjustment, the final step in a gradual process that began in 2021, will not affect salaries or social benefits, but it will force companies to rethink how they organise working hours and calculate overtime.
The new limit, established by Ley 2101 de 2021, applies to all private sector employees, regardless of their work arrangement or special schedules. Public sector workers are not automatically included in the change. The law maintains the value of the standard hour and existing benefits, but lowers the threshold at which overtime pay is triggered. This means that if companies do not adjust their shift patterns, they may see an increase in overtime costs.
Labour law specialist Laura Pérez explains that the reform does not alter core employment obligations, but obliges employers to redistribute working time within the new legal cap. The law allows for the 42 hours to be spread over five or six days, provided that the weekly rest day is respected. This flexibility requires careful review of shift systems, especially in sectors with continuous operations or rotating teams.
The reduction in weekly hours also changes the monthly calculation of working time. In 2026, the standard will be 182 working hours per month, with 214 hours included in the salary and 8.67 hours of monthly reduction compared to previous years. These figures reflect a steady decrease from the 208 monthly hours calculated in 2022, as the law has gradually reduced the workweek from 48 to 42 hours.
Article 165 of the Código Sustantivo del Trabajo has been updated to reflect the new limits: from July 2026, the maximum will be 42 hours per week and 126 hours over any three-week period. The rules for night, Sunday and holiday pay remain unchanged, but the lower weekly cap means that overtime will accrue sooner, potentially increasing payroll costs for businesses that do not adapt their schedules.
Industries with high shift rotation or continuous service—such as hospitality, tourism, commerce, healthcare, transport, security, manufacturing and certain industrial activities—face the greatest challenges. These sectors may need to hire additional staff, redesign shift cycles or absorb higher operational costs to comply with the new law.
Employers who fail to adjust risk not only financial penalties for unrecognised overtime or incorrect payroll calculations, but also administrative sanctions from the Ministry of Labour and possible legal action from employees. The law does not prescribe a single model for shift organisation, but companies must ensure compliance with the new limits to avoid disputes.
For context, Colombia's labour code is designed to ensure fairness and balance between employers and workers. The gradual reduction of the workweek aligns with international trends aimed at improving work-life balance without sacrificing pay. According to the International Labour Organization, several countries in Latin America and Europe have adopted similar measures in recent years, reflecting a broader shift towards shorter working hours as a standard for modern employment.
