Can a UAE employer charge a worker recruitment fees?
No. Article 6 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 prohibits the employer from charging the worker for the fees and costs of recruitment and employment, or collecting them directly or indirectly. That covers deductions from wages as well as payments demanded up front.
Direct and indirect collection
Indirect collection includes deducting recruitment costs from salary, from gratuity in the final settlement, or through a recruitment agency the employer uses. Article 25 does not list recruitment costs among the permitted wage deductions, which closes that route as well.
Article 6 also requires a work permit before anyone starts work, and a Ministry licence for any business acting as a recruitment agent.
Who bears the cost when a worker moves during probation
Article 9 says that when a worker moves to another UAE employer during probation, the new employer compensates the original employer for recruitment costs unless they agree otherwise. The worker does not pay.
How SupaJack Construct keeps payslips clean
Every payslip deduction in SupaJack Construct is an itemised line with a type and a source, so a recruitment charge cannot be hidden inside a general deduction and an auditor can see what each dirham was taken for.
Related tools and guides
See the UAE labour law guide for contractors, the final settlement calculator, the gratuity calculator, the annual leave calculator, the unpaid leave deduction calculator, payroll and WPS in SupaJack Construct, time and attendance and the meaning of basic salary.
Worked example
A contractor brings in 40 labourers through an agency that charges AED 2,500 per worker. The contractor plans to recover the fee at AED 250 a month from wages. Article 6 forbids this. The AED 100,000 is the contractor's cost and belongs in project overheads.
Questions people ask
Can the cost be taken from gratuity?
No. That would be indirect collection, which Article 6 forbids.
Can a worker agree to pay?
The prohibition applies regardless of agreement.
Who pays when a worker moves during probation?
The new employer compensates the original one, unless agreed otherwise.