Short answer: almost no Latvian recruitment agency publishes its fee. One that does, Komin, says its price is usually 2 to 4 months of the candidate’s gross salary, about 17 to 33 % of a year. The others publish the service and the guarantee: a 3-month guarantee on CV Market’s full selection service, 3 to 6 months on middle and senior roles at WORK IN. The percentages you will hear come from international practice: 15 to 25 % of first-year salary for contingency recruitment and 25 to 35 % for retained search. One executive search firm covering the region, SpenglerFox, sets a minimum of EUR 20,000 in Central and Southern Europe. Before you sign, you need three answers: what the percentage is taken from, when you are invoiced, and what happens if the person leaves in month four. And the fee is only one line of what a hire costs in total.
Why can’t you find a price list?
Because almost nobody publishes one. Komin is the exception: its price is usually 2 to 4 months of the candidate’s gross salary, depending on the level and responsibility of the role. CV Market says the total cost depends on how hard the vacancy is to fill. Human Source names four things that move the price: the salary level, how many candidates exist, the industry and how confidential the search is. WORK IN describes two models, a fixed sum or a percentage of the new hire’s annual salary, agreed client by client. Astral Recruiting writes each offer for the client.
That is not evasion. A warehouse operator and a finance director are different jobs to fill. It does mean that the first number you hear is the agency’s opening position, and you have nothing public to compare it with. So compare the terms instead.
One thing you can check: an agency placing people into jobs in Latvia needs a licence from the State Employment Agency (NVA), and NVA publishes the list of licence holders. Ask for the licence number.
What the percentage is a percentage of
International practice, as summarised by the recruitment software firm Manatal in August 2026: contingency recruitment, where you pay only if you hire, runs 15 to 25 % of first-year salary, with 20 % the most common. Retained search, where part of the fee is paid up front, runs 25 to 35 %. Hard-to-fill and executive roles can go toward 40 %. These are not Latvian figures. The one Latvian figure we found is Komin’s, 2 to 4 months of gross salary, which is about 17 to 33 % of a year.
“First-year salary” needs defining in the contract. SpenglerFox, for example, charges on the candidate’s first-year gross annual expected remuneration, which can include more than base pay. Ask whether bonus, car or other benefits are in the base.
What that means on a manager paid EUR 5,000 gross a month (EUR 60,000 a year). This is an illustration, not a quote:
| Fee basis | Fee |
|---|---|
| 15 % of EUR 60,000 | EUR 9,000 |
| 20 % | EUR 12,000 |
| 25 % | EUR 15,000 |
| 35 % (retained search) | EUR 21,000 |
| 2 to 4 months of gross salary (Komin, Latvia) | EUR 10,000 to 20,000 |
| SpenglerFox minimum, Central and Southern Europe | EUR 20,000 |
At this salary, a EUR 20,000 minimum is a third of the first year’s gross. Minimum fees matter more the lower the salary. To run your own numbers, salary, fee and the months the role sits empty, use the cost of hiring calculator.
What the fee buys
CV Market is useful here because it publishes three tiers side by side:
- Do it yourself: the job ad, a system to manage CVs and extra visibility. You run the selection.
- Partial selection: they clarify the brief, publish the ad, search their CV database, screen against your criteria and phone the suitable people. You receive CVs with a short summary of each.
- Full selection: all of the above plus search on social networks, two rounds of interviews, references and a 3-month guarantee.
Only the full service carries a guarantee. If you are quoted a low price, check which tier it is.
The guarantee, and why three months is not a coincidence
Published guarantees cluster around the probation period. CV Market gives 3 months. WORK IN gives 3 to 6 months on middle and senior roles. Manatal reports 30 to 90 days as typical internationally. SpenglerFox replaces a hire who leaves or is dismissed within 6 months, for 50 % of the original fee, so the second search is not free.
Now set that against the Labour Law. Probation in Latvia can last at most three months (Article 46). During probation either side can end the contract on three days’ written notice, and you do not have to give a reason (Article 47). Once the three months are over and the person keeps working, probation is passed. After that, an employee who wants to leave gives one month’s written notice (Article 100).
So a 3-month guarantee covers the window in which you could have ended the contract cheaply anyway. The harder problem, a manager who passes probation and turns out wrong in month seven, sits outside it. Read the guarantee for three things: how long it runs, whether it is a replacement or a refund, and whether a replacement search costs anything.
When you pay
Two patterns. Contingency: one invoice when the candidate accepts or starts. Retained: instalments. SpenglerFox’s terms set out three, a retainer when the contract is accepted, a shortlist fee when the candidates are presented and you agree to interview one or more, and a final instalment when the candidate accepts the offer. With a retained search, you have paid most of the fee before you know whether the person works out.
How long it takes
What is published is the start of the process, not the end. WORK IN says it starts within 24 hours. Human Source says first candidates often come within two weeks, and about two to three weeks to the first presentation. The one published Latvian figure comes from the industry itself. Fontes, a search firm, reported in Dienas Bizness in April 2024 that its senior searches (board level and equivalent) over four years averaged 4 to 5 months, and just over four months in private companies, measured from the start of the project to the choice of the final candidate. That is one firm’s own data on senior roles, not market statistics. Komin says a full standard selection takes from 5 weeks. Add the candidate’s own notice: a person already employed usually gives one month.
Five questions to ask before you sign
- What is the fee a percentage of: base salary only, or bonus and benefits too?
- Is there a minimum fee, and what is it?
- When is each part invoiced, and what is refundable if we stop the search?
- How long is the guarantee, does it go beyond probation, and is the replacement search free?
- What is your NVA licence number?
When an agency is the wrong tool
An agency fills a seat. If the seat is already well defined, that is exactly what you want. If the honest answer is that nobody yet knows what the job is, because reporting, process ownership and the weekly rhythm do not exist, an agency will find you a good person for a job that is still undefined. That is when a fractional COO, a full-time hire or an interim manager are worth comparing first, and when it helps to price the whole hire, not just the fee. If new hires already take months to become useful, that is one of the 5 signs your company needs an operations audit.
FAQ
How much does a recruitment agency charge in Latvia?
Almost no Latvian agency publishes its price. Komin, one that does, says usually 2 to 4 months of the candidate’s gross salary, about 17 to 33 % of a year. International practice is 15 to 25 % of first-year salary for contingency recruitment and 25 to 35 % for retained search. Some executive search firms set minimums; SpenglerFox’s is EUR 20,000 in Central and Southern Europe.
What is a typical recruitment guarantee in Latvia?
Published guarantees run 3 months (CV Market, full selection) to 3 to 6 months (WORK IN, middle and senior roles). They tend to match the maximum probation period of three months.
Do recruitment agencies in Latvia need a licence?
Yes. Work placement services need a licence from the State Employment Agency (NVA), which publishes the list of licence holders.
Do I pay if I do not hire anyone?
With contingency recruitment, usually not. With retained search, part of the fee falls due before any offer: in SpenglerFox’s terms, the retainer on signing and the shortlist fee when candidates are presented and you agree to interview. Check the contract.
How long does probation last in Latvia?
At most three months, or up to six if a collective agreement with a trade union allows it. Either side can end the contract on three days’ written notice during probation.
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