Nearshore staffing and recruitment in Colombia
Hire in Colombia: Eastern time, fluent English, twenty years of serving US companies.
Colombia is the most common country for nearshore staffing from the United States. Bogotá and Medellín sit on UTC−5 all year, which is New York time in winter and Chicago time in summer, and the country has hosted customer-service, engineering and shared-services operations for US companies for two decades. nearshore.now employs your Colombian hires through local entities and partners; you manage the work.
Colombia at a glance.
- Capital
- Bogotá
- Talent hubs
- Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla
- Time zone
- UTC−5, all year
Colombia does not observe daylight saving time, so Bogotá matches New York in the US winter and Chicago in the US summer. - Language
- Spanish. English tested live for every candidate.
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP). You are invoiced in US dollars.
- Population
- about 52 million
- Flights
- Bogotá to Miami, about 3 h 30 min; Medellín to Miami, about 3 h 30 min; Bogotá to New York, about 5 h 45 min; Bogotá to Houston, about 5 h.
- Overlap with US
- Eastern: 8 h in summer, 9 h in winter; Central: 9 h in summer, 8 h in winter; Mountain: 8 h in summer, 7 h in winter; Pacific: 7 h in summer, 6 h in winter. Working day 9:00–18:00 in both places.
Three reasons US companies hire in Colombia.
- 01
The time zone is the whole argument. A Bogotá employee works the complete Eastern and Central business day and six to seven hours of the Pacific day, with no daylight-saving shuffle because Colombia never changes its clocks.
- 02
The talent pool is deep because US companies built it. Bogotá and Medellín have hosted call-center, support and engineering operations for US brands since the 2000s, so the people who have already worked for a US manager are easy to find.
- 03
It is close. Bogotá and Medellín to Miami take about three and a half hours by air, which makes a quarterly visit a day trip rather than an expedition.
English
English fluency varies widely across the country, which is why we test it in every interview instead of trusting a résumé. In Bogotá and Medellín the pool of professionals with strong working English is large, especially among people who have worked for US companies or studied abroad.
- Bogotá UTC−05:00 –:––
- Medellín UTC−05:00 –:––
- New York UTC−04:00 –:––
- Chicago UTC−05:00 –:––
- Denver UTC−06:00 –:––
- Los Angeles UTC−07:00 –:––
The roles Colombia is strongest for.
Software engineers
Medellín and Bogotá have large engineering communities and US tech offices.
Hire software engineers CSCustomer success
Two decades of US support operations mean deep experience with US customers.
Hire customer success SDRSales development reps
Eastern-time calling hours and a large bilingual pool.
Hire sales development reps FINFinance & accounting
Big Four offices in Bogotá train accountants on US clients.
Hire finance & accountingWhat employing someone in Colombia involves.
You do not need to know any of this to hire. We employ your Colombian hire under local law through our entities and partners and send you one invoice in US dollars. It is here so you know what your fee covers.
- Legal workweek: 42 hours since July 2026, reduced from 48 hours under a 2021 law.
- Prima de servicios: a mandatory extra month of salary, paid in two halves in June and December.
- Cesantías: a severance fund equal to one month of salary per year, deposited each February.
- Paid vacation: 15 working days per year, plus about 18 public holidays.
Questions about hiring in Colombia.
Other countries
01What time zone is Colombia in?
Colombia is on UTC−5 all year, with no daylight saving time. That is the same as New York during the US winter and the same as Chicago during the US summer.
02Who employs my Colombian hire?
nearshore.now, through its Colombian entity or a local partner, employs the professional under Colombian labor law, pays the salary and the mandatory benefits, and sends you one monthly invoice.
03How much does it cost to hire in Colombia?
A flat monthly fee per hire, typically 40–60% below the fully loaded cost of the same role in the US. We quote the exact figure for your role on the call.
04Can I hire in Colombia without a local entity?
Yes, through nearshore staffing: nearshore.now employs the professional under Colombia’s labor law and you pay one monthly invoice in US dollars. If you already have an entity or employer of record in Colombia, use nearshore recruitment instead: we run the same search and vetting, and you hire directly for a one-time fee.
Your first hire in Colombia could start next month.
Twenty minutes with us. No commitment. We’ll tell you if nearshore is right for the role.
Book a call nearshore.now · Napa, California · 38.30° N, 122.29° W