The most common direct hire fee is 20% of salary, with 42% of staffing firms reporting that level of fee, according to research by SIA. Although the median reported fee is also 20% across all staffing firm demographics, the midrange differs considerably. Commercial staffing firms reported a lower-than-average midrange of 15% to 20%; professional staffing firms reported an average midrange of 18% to 22%; and direct hire firms reported a higher-than-average midrange of 20% to 25%.
Average direct hire fee charged by staffing firms
(as a percent of the hiring salary)
Average direct hire fee (percent of hiring salary)
as a function of staffing firm size (chart at left) and primary segmentÂ
Source: North America Staffing Company Survey 2021 Full Report 2021 [1]