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Hiring domestic workers in UAE: Difference between traditional and direct recruitment
Here's your guide to understanding the differences between hiring a domestic worker through a licensed recruitment agency and recruiting one directly in the UAE
- PUBLISHED: Tue 4 Aug 2026, 9:19 PM
Planning to hire a domestic worker in the UAE? The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) on Tuesday, August 4, clarified the key differences between hiring through a licensed recruitment agency and recruiting directly.
While both options are available to employers, they differ significantly in terms of legal protections, responsibilities and guarantees. Here's what you need to know before making a decision.
Hiring through a licensed recruitment agency
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Under traditional recruitment, employers hire domestic workers through agencies licensed by the Mohre. The arrangement is governed by a contract between the employer and recruitment office, providing the employer with the guarantees outlined in the UAE's Domestic Workers Law.
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Hiring a domestic worker directly
Meanwhile, direct recruitment allows employers to hire a domestic worker without using a recruitment agency. In this case, the employers must submit an undertaking approved by Mohre, accepting full responsibility for the recruitment.
Mohre noted that direct recruitment does not include the guarantees provided under the Domestic Workers Law. Employers are also not entitled to rely on any prior or future agreement or contract, or claim any guarantee related to the domestic worker.
42 domestic worker recruitment offices fined in first half of 2026
This comes after the Ministry's recent crackdown on recruitment agencies. On July 27, the ministry announced that 42 domestic worker recruitment offices were fined for 135 legal and administrative violations during the first half of 2026.
According to Mohre, 106 of the violations involved agencies failing to refund all or part of the recruitment fees to employers within the legally mandated timeframe.
Under the executive regulations of the Domestic Workers Law, recruitment offices must refund the fees within two weeks if a domestic worker is returned to the agency or is reported to have stopped working. The ministry stressed that complying with the refund rules is essential to protecting employers’ rights, maintaining a balanced contractual relationship, and preventing disputes.
