What Recruitment Agencies Really Cost in the UAE (and What You Should Pay)
Typical agency fee structures in the UAE, the hidden cost of a slow or failed hire, and how to benchmark value beyond the percentage.
Free tool · Employers
Recruitment Cost Calculator
What will this hire actually cost? Compare job boards, a percentage-fee agency and per-role sourcing, including your team’s screening hours and the cost of every extra week the seat stays empty.
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Estimated cost under your assumptions · 1 hire
Cost by route
Each total is external spend + your team’s screening time + vacancy cost while the seat is empty.
Job boards only
Agency (15%)
Nas Talent per role
Agency route minus Nas Talent route: AED 0
What AED 299 covers. AED 299 covers posting, AI screening of every applicant and a ranked shortlist of your top 5 (the Start tier on our pricing page). Results are estimates from the figures above, not quotes. Disclosure: Nas Talent publishes this hub and is one of the routes compared.
The link includes the values you entered.
How this calculator works
Comparing fees alone is misleading, so every route is totalled the same way: external spend + your team’s screening time + vacancy cost. Every number is an input you can change; the defaults are starting points, not market data.
Job boards only
You pay for advertising and absorb all the screening. It is the cheapest invoice and the most expensive in hours, and applicants are not filtered before they reach you.
Agency (percentage fee)
The fee is a percentage of the annual package, so it scales with salary. Use the percentage from your agency’s proposal. You still interview, so part of the screening time stays with your team.
Nas Talent per role
A fixed per-role price for a vetted shortlist that does not move with salary. The default is the published Start price; other tiers are on the pricing page.
Vacancy cost
Enter the monthly value the role contributes and your estimate of weeks to hire on each route. The calculator adds monthly value ÷ 4.33 × weeks to each route’s total. Leave the value at 0 to exclude it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a recruitment agency cost in the UAE?
Contingent agencies usually charge a percentage of the first-year fixed salary, and the percentage varies by role and agency. On an AED 15,000 monthly salary, a 15% fee is AED 27,000 per hire. Use the percentage in your own proposal.
What is included in cost per hire?
External spend (advertising, agency fees, assessments) plus the internal time your team spends sifting, screening and scheduling. This calculator adds both, and optionally the cost of the weeks the seat stays empty.
Is my data sent anywhere?
Calculations run in your browser. If you choose ‘Send me this result’, we email it to you and keep a copy to reply.
Estimates only, not legal or financial advice. Rules last verified 20 July 2026; page updated 20 October 2026; see our editorial policy.
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