Temporary Staffing Agency Contract Chile (Contrato de Suministro de Personal)

A Temporary Staffing Agency Contract Chile (Contrato de Suministro de Personal) is the written commercial agreement under which an Empresa de Servicios Transitorios (EST) places temporary workers with a user enterprise (empresa usuaria) for specifically permitted purposes, governed by Código del Trabajo Article 183-F and the reform introduced by Ley 20.123 of 2006. Ley 20.123 fundamentally restructured Chile's outsourcing and temporary staffing framework, creating a triangular employment architecture that allocates labour obligations between three distinct parties: the EST as the formal employer of record, the empresa usuaria as the entity directing the worker's daily activities, and the trabajador de servicios transitorios as the holder of specific statutory rights under the Código del Trabajo.

Article 183-F of the Código del Trabajo defines the suministro de trabajadores as the act whereby an EST places its workers at the disposal of a third-party enterprise (empresa usuaria) to perform temporary work or services on behalf of the usuaria. The critical legal distinction from subcontracting (subcontratación) under Article 183-A is that in suministro de personal, the empresa usuaria directly supervises and directs the worker's activities — the working relationship resembles direct employment except that the formal employer is the EST, not the usuaria.

The Dirección del Trabajo (DT) — Chile's central labour inspection authority under the Ministerio del Trabajo y Previsión Social — enforces the distinctions between permitted suministro and disguised employment through Dictámenes and workplace inspections. The DT's Dictamen N° 141/5 of 2007 clarified that EST registration with the DT is mandatory under Article 183-D and that unregistered entities engaging in suministro de personal face fines, criminal liability, and reclassification of the employment relationship. The DT maintains a public registry (Registro de Empresas de Servicios Transitorios) that empresas usuarias must verify before entering any suministro arrangement.

For an EST to operate legally in Chile, Article 183-B requires inscription in the Registro de Empresas de Servicios Transitorios maintained by the Dirección del Trabajo and the deposit of a guarantee bond (caución) equivalent to 250 UF (approximately CLP 9,500,000 in 2025) with the Dirección del Trabajo. This bond ensures compliance with workers' labour and social security obligations. Article 183-D establishes that if the EST fails to pay workers' remunerations or social security contributions, the empresa usuaria bears subsidiary liability for those obligations — making verification of the EST's registration and financial standing essential before any suministro contract is signed.

The Contrato de Suministro de Personal must specify the permitted cause of temporary placement. Article 183-Ñ of the Código del Trabajo limits EST worker placement to six specific circumstances: (1) replacing a permanent worker during justified absence or licence; (2) filling vacant positions during selection processes (maximum 90 days); (3) performing urgent and specific tasks requiring immediate execution (maximum 90 days); (4) meeting extraordinary increases in company activity that cannot be covered by permanent staff (maximum 180 days); (5) performing jobs at events or shows for which the company has no permanent staff; and (6) completing specific projects within the company's regular activities. Any placement outside these circumstances is unlawful and exposes both the EST and empresa usuaria to sanctions under the Código del Trabajo and potential reclassification of workers as permanent direct employees of the usuaria.

The working relationship between the trabajador de servicios transitorios and the empresa usuaria is governed by Articles 183-Q through 183-V of the Código del Trabajo. Article 183-Q mandates that the temporary worker receive, on the first day of placement, written information specifying the remuneration to be paid, working hours, and all benefits applicable to equivalent permanent workers in the empresa usuaria's workforce. Article 183-W establishes the principle of equal pay (igualdad de remuneraciones) — temporary workers performing equivalent functions must receive remuneration no lower than that paid to comparable permanent workers in the empresa usuaria for the same role, a protection enforced by the Juzgados de Letras del Trabajo.

A Temporary Staffing Agency Contract Chile is required whenever a Chilean empresa usuaria engages an EST registered with the Dirección del Trabajo to supply temporary workers for the specific permitted circumstances listed in Article 183-Ñ of the Código del Trabajo. Both the commercial agreement between the EST and the empresa usuaria (the Contrato de Suministro de Personal) and the individual employment contract between the EST and each temporary worker must be documented in writing before the placement begins.

The contract is needed when a company must replace a permanent worker on medical licence (licencia médica) approved by COMPIN (Comisión Médica Preventiva e Invalidez) or ISAPRE, on maternity leave under the Ley de Protección a la Maternidad (Articles 194–208 of the Código del Trabajo), on paternity leave under Ley 20.761 of 2014, or on any other authorised absence from the permanent role. The empresa usuaria cannot directly contract a replacement worker without violating the exclusivity provisions of suministro under Article 183-F — the formal employer of the replacement must be the registered EST.

The contract is needed when a Sociedad Anónima (SA) under Ley 18.046, a Sociedad por Acciones (SpA) under Articles 424–446 of the Código de Comercio, or any other type of company registered with the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) is conducting recruitment and selection processes for vacant permanent positions and requires temporary coverage of no more than 90 calendar days while the selection is completed. The 90-day limit applies strictly — any extension beyond this period converts the cause of placement and may require a new suministro contract under a different permitted cause.

The contract is mandatory when seasonal or extraordinary increases in business activity — such as peak retail periods, harvest seasons in agricultural enterprises, or large construction project phases — require temporary labour that cannot be accommodated by the permanent workforce. Article 183-Ñ No. 4 permits placement for up to 180 calendar days per year for this cause, including extensions — making clear identification of the start and end dates in the contract essential for compliance.

Both the EST and the empresa usuaria must keep the signed Contrato de Suministro de Personal available for inspection by Dirección del Trabajo inspectors conducting workplace audits under Article 505 of the Código del Trabajo. Article 183-E requires that a copy of the relevant portion of the suministro contract be provided to each temporary worker placed under it, as documentary evidence of the terms of the placement. Failure to maintain adequate records can result in administrative fines of one to five UTM under Article 506 and, for repeated violations, up to 20 UTM under Article 507.

A valid Temporary Staffing Agency Contract Chile under Código del Trabajo Articles 183-E through 183-G must contain specific mandatory elements to comply with Ley 20.123 of 2006 and withstand Dirección del Trabajo inspection scrutiny.

Party Identification: Full legal name, RUT (Rol Único Tributario issued by the SII), registered address, and representative details of both the EST and the empresa usuaria. For the EST, the inscription number in the Registro de Empresas de Servicios Transitorios maintained by the Dirección del Trabajo and the details of the 250 UF caución deposit must be stated explicitly. Article 183-B mandates this registration as a condition of lawful operation.

Cause of Placement: The specific permitted cause under Article 183-Ñ that justifies the temporary placement must be identified with precision. Vague references to "business needs" or "project work" without alignment to one of the six permitted causes are legally insufficient and expose both parties to reclassification risk. The Juzgados de Letras del Trabajo apply a substance-over-form analysis: if the placement performs functions identical to those of permanent employees over an extended period, the court may declare the employer relationship to be with the empresa usuaria directly under Article 183-F inciso 2.

Placement Duration: The contract must state the start date and end date of each temporary placement, consistent with the maximum durations specified in Article 183-Ñ — 90 days for replacement, selection process coverage, and urgent tasks; 180 days for extraordinary activity increases. Extensions beyond these limits require specific legal justification and Dirección del Trabajo acknowledgement.

Remuneration Terms: The agreed remuneration for each worker placed must be stated, meeting the Ingreso Mínimo Mensual (IMM — CLP 500,000 for workers aged 18–65 in 2025) and complying with the equal pay principle of Article 183-W. The remuneration must include all components: sueldo base, applicable allowances, and any contractual benefits. The EST bears primary responsibility for paying remuneration; the empresa usuaria carries subsidiary liability under Article 183-D.

Social Security Obligations: The contract must confirm the EST's obligations to register each temporary worker with the corresponding AFP (DL 3.500), FONASA or ISAPRE (Ley 18.469; Ley 18.933), AFC unemployment insurance (Ley 19.728), and occupational accident insurance under Ley 16.744 through ACHS, IST, Mutual de Seguridad, or the Instituto de Seguridad Laboral (ISL). Temporary workers are entitled to unemployment insurance contributions from the EST at 3% of taxable remuneration for fixed-term placement (compared to 2.4% for indefinite contracts), with the worker contributing 0.6%.

Work Instructions and Safety Obligations: The empresa usuaria is responsible for directing the daily work of temporary workers and bears primary responsibility for occupational health and safety under Ley 16.744 and the Reglamento sobre Prevención de Riesgos Profesionales (DS 40 of 1969 of the Ministerio del Trabajo). Article 183-U mandates that the empresa usuaria provide temporary workers with the same safety protections as its permanent staff, including induction training, provision of personal protective equipment (EPP), and inclusion in the workplace's internal risk prevention regulations (Reglamento Interno de Higiene y Seguridad).

Termination Provisions: The circumstances under which the placement may be terminated early — including completion of the permitted cause, expiry of the legal maximum duration, or termination of the underlying permanent worker's absence — must be specified. Article 183-V provides that early termination without justified cause triggers an obligation on the EST to pay the temporary worker indemnity equivalent to the remaining contract period, capped at the applicable legal maximum.

Information Disclosure to Workers: Under Article 183-Q, the empresa usuaria must provide each temporary worker with written disclosure on the first placement day specifying remuneration, working hours, and applicable benefits. This document, signed by the worker, must be retained by both the EST and the empresa usuaria as evidence of compliance. Forms-legal.com provides this Contrato de Suministro de Personal Chile template as a starting framework — both the EST and empresa usuaria should engage a licensed Abogado laboral to confirm compliance with Ley 20.123, current Dirección del Trabajo Dictámenes, and applicable Reglamentos. Los usuarios de forms-legal.com pueden descargar este documento de forma gratuita en formato PDF o DOCX, completar los campos del formulario guiado y obtener un documento listo para firma.