Per-search agency, in-house or outsourced recruitment department: what each option costs

When I talk to managing directors of growing companies, the conversation about recruitment tends to reach the same point: "We're hiring more and more, and every search costs us money and time. What do we do?" There are three possible answers: keep paying an agency for each search, build your own recruitment department, or hire an outsourced one for a fixed fee. None of them is best for every company. In this guide I show you what each one costs, with figures, and how to tell which one suits you.

The three ways to fill your vacancies

1. An agency that charges per search. You give it each vacancy and pay a fee for each hire, usually a percentage of the person's gross annual salary. It's flexible: you only pay when you need it.

2. Your own recruitment department. You hire a recruiter and give them the tools: a system to manage candidates (ATS), LinkedIn and job boards. You have someone dedicated, but at a fixed cost you pay whether you hire or not.

3. An outsourced recruitment department for a fixed fee. An external team acts as your company's recruitment department: it runs your searches, with its own tools, for a fixed monthly fee. In the industry it's also known as RPO or Recruiting as a Service.

What each option costs

These are the references we work with. All amounts exclude VAT and refer to vacancies in Spain.

The agency percentage is the market reference published in 2026 (source, in Spanish). The in-house cost adds up an experienced recruiter (between €33,000 and €36,000 gross a year, based on our experience), employer social security (estimated at around 32%), an ATS, LinkedIn, InfoJobs and other job boards. The full breakdown is in the comparison on the service page.

An example: 12 hires in a year

Take a company that expects 12 hires over the next year, for roles of around €45,000 gross a year.

Two caveats to keep the comparison fair. The per-search agency only charges if the vacancy is filled; in the example we assume all of them are. And the outsourced department counts each vacancy when it opens, whether it's filled or not.

Now change the example: a company that hires two people a year. Per search it would pay between €18,000 and €22,500. An in-house department would cost the same as before, and the smallest outsourced plan, €30,000. At that volume, paying per search makes sense.

What never appears on an invoice

Comparing fees alone falls short. Some costs never arrive as an invoice, and they count too:

• Your managers' time. If nobody is dedicated to it, someone in management writes job ads, screens CVs and coordinates interviews instead of doing their own job.
• Candidates who never hear back. Every person who gets no answer talks about your company. Your employer image is built in every search.
• The history you lose. If candidates live in emails and spreadsheets, every search starts from scratch.
• Depending on one person. With a one-person in-house department, their holidays, sick leave or departure bring recruitment to a halt.
• The cost of getting it wrong. A bad hire costs far more than any fee. We explain how to calculate it in this guide: the cost of a bad hire.

When each option makes sense

• Paying per search makes sense if you hire one, two or three people a year, or if the role is so specific it needs a tailored search, such as headhunting an executive.
• An in-house department starts to make sense when hiring volume is very high and stable, and you can take on a team, its tools and its management.
• An outsourced department for a fixed fee fits the middle ground: companies that hire several times a year, have no recruitment department and want a fixed cost.

What to demand, whichever you choose

Price matters, but what really decides whether you get it right is the method. Whatever option you choose, ask about these five things:

1. A profile defined by competencies, not just by requirements and years of experience.
2. Structured interviews using the STAR method: candidates describe real situations, what they did and what result they achieved.
3. Analysis of the role's critical incidents, to know how the person will act when it really matters.
4. A clear timeframe to see the first candidates.
5. An answer for every candidate and a guarantee if the person leaves in the first months.

That's what we do at Crearte with the CREARTE Method. In our outsourced recruitment department, Susana González and I lead every search and interview the finalists on competencies. We also present the best candidates within 7 working days, give feedback to every candidate and offer a 3-month replacement guarantee.

Run the numbers with your own figures

If you want to know what each option would cost with your vacancies and salaries, we've built a five-question calculator. It tells you which plan fits, compares it with paying per search and with an in-house department, and shows you the contract before you talk to us.

Choose your plan: costs and benefits

Frequently asked questions