Recruitment Agency Fees in Singapore 2026: 15–25% of Salary

Recruitment agencies in Singapore charge a permanent hire as a share of the first-year salary, not a flat fee. JTE Recruit puts the common range at 15% to 25% and Alliance Recruitment Agency at 10% to 20%, both describing the market rate rather than quoting a fixed price.

On a salary of S$80,000 at 20%, the fee is S$16,000 before GST (our arithmetic). We build Talent Summoner, an AI sourcing tool: a role brief goes in, a ranked shortlist comes out in minutes, and your first Role is free, your second US$4, and after that US$29.

Agency vs sourcing tool at a glance

	Singapore recruitment agency	Talent Summoner (our product)
What you pay	Commonly 15–25% of first-year salary (JTE) or 10–20% (Alliance), plus 9% GST if the agency is registered	Per Role: first free, second US$4, then US$29. Monthly: US$59 for 10 Roles, or US$299 unlimited
By role type	Tyson Jay: PMET roles usually 15–25% of annual salary; operational roles often 80–120% of one month's salary	Same price for every role
When you pay	Contingency: only if you hire their candidate. Retained: part upfront, whether or not you hire	Upfront; no card needed for the first Role
First shortlist	Within 48 hours for most roles, 2–4 weeks for senior roles (Alliance); 7–10 working days to a validated shortlist (KiTalent, executive search)	First candidates in about 30 seconds; brief to shortlist in minutes
Outreach, screening, scheduling	The agency, as scoped in the agreement	Your team
Replacement term	Negotiated; confirm the guarantee in writing	None; no hire is promised
Fits when	The search is confidential or senior, or nobody in-house can own outreach	You can run outreach and need the right names fast

These are three agencies' own pages, not a market survey. Agency fees are in S$; our prices are in US$.

A sourcing tool replaces only the "who should we be talking to" step, while the agency fee also buys outreach, screening, scheduling and the close. If you can run outreach yourself and are only stuck on names, start with the table above.

Talent Summoner has no InMail, no always-on pipeline and no ATS integration today. It finds and ranks; your team does the rest.

What a year of hiring costs

Your cadence	Agency (20% of S$80,000, our arithmetic)	Talent Summoner
1 role a year	S$16,000	Free first Role, US$4 second, US$29 from then on
3 roles a year	S$48,000	US$33 (year one: free, US$4, then US$29); US$79 a year after (3-Role bundle)
Hiring every month	A negotiated rate, but still billed per placement	US$59 a month for 10 Roles, or US$299 a month unlimited

Your quote will differ from the midpoint, so put its real figures through our agency vs software cost worksheet. A three-Role bundle is US$79 on our pricing page, and larger bundles cost less per Role.

Six terms to pin down before you sign an agency quote

Fee base. Basic salary, guaranteed annual salary or total first-year package? Write the formula into the agreement.
Invoice trigger. Introduction, offer acceptance or start date, and what happens if the candidate withdraws.
GST and extras. IRAS lists GST at 9%; ask whether it is included, and list advertising, assessment and work-pass charges separately.
Candidate ownership. What counts as an introduction, and how long the window lasts.
Replacement or refund. How long it runs, which departures qualify, and whether you get a replacement, a credit or money back.
Scope and hand-offs. Who owns briefing, outreach, replies, scheduling, references and the offer. A lower fee can mean more work stays with you.

Placement agencies in Singapore generally need an employment agency licence from the Ministry of Manpower. Check the licence and the consultant in MOM's directory before paying a deposit.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

When the agency is worth the fee

Pay the percentage when one of these is true:

The search is confidential. A discreet replacement or leadership hire needs an intermediary between you and the market.
The market is narrow. A senior or niche role where the right people are not searching, and relationships open the door.
Nobody in-house can own the conversations. Outreach, replies, scheduling and follow-up for the next month have no owner.

Our guide to when a recruitment agency is worth the fee covers what to confirm in writing before you commit.

FAQ

What is the normal recruitment agency fee in Singapore?

Singapore agencies describe permanent-placement fees as a share of first-year salary: JTE Recruit puts the common range at 15% to 25%, Alliance Recruitment Agency at 10% to 20%, and Tyson Jay notes that operational roles are often priced at 80% to 120% of one month's salary instead. Fee model, salary base, exclusivity and replacement terms move the quote, so compare the written terms rather than the headline percentage.

How quickly can a recruitment agency in Singapore send a shortlist?

It varies by agency and seniority: Alliance says within 48 hours for most roles and 2 to 4 weeks for senior roles, while KiTalent cites 7 to 10 working days for a validated executive shortlist. Talent Summoner, our sourcing tool, returns first candidates in about 30 seconds, but your team still runs outreach and interviews.

Does GST apply to a recruitment agency quote?

Ask whether the provider is GST-registered and whether the quote includes GST. IRAS lists Singapore's current rate as 9%; this is general tax information, not tax advice.

Is Talent Summoner a recruitment agency?

The Talent Summoner sourcing tool is software, not an agency engagement: it turns a role brief into a reasoned shortlist from public professional sources, and your team owns contact, assessment, interviews, offers and the final decision. Use an agency when you need an agreed service engagement.

Sources checked

JTE Recruit: Recruitment agency cost in Singapore, 21 July 2026; checked 8 September 2026. Market description by one agency, not a benchmark.
Alliance Recruitment Agency: Recruitment agencies in Singapore, checked 9 September 2026. Market-rate description and the agency's own turnaround.
Tyson Jay: Recruitment fees in Singapore, 28 March 2026; checked 9 September 2026. One agency's description of fee bands by role type.
KiTalent: Singapore executive search, checked 8 September 2026. The agency's own published turnaround.
MOM: Who needs an employment agency licence and how to check a licensed EA, checked 19 August 2026.
IRAS: GST rates, last updated 10 December 2025; checked 19 August 2026.

Talent Summoner product facts read from our live candidate sourcing, candidate ranking and pricing pages, verified 3 October 2026. We re-verify this page quarterly — tell us if something changed.