We sell both models, so treat this as a vendor's comparison and check the arithmetic yourself. The arithmetic is the point: the two models fail in different places, and the number of roles you are filling decides which failure you can live with.
Here is the honest version.
The two cost models
A contingency staffing agency is paid on success. You owe nothing until someone starts, and then you owe a percentage of their first-year salary. Market rates for skilled trades and professional roles run 20% to 25%, with retained and executive search higher.
RPO (recruitment process outsourcing) is paid for the function, not the hire. GlobalCybers charges a flat $2,999 a month covering up to three concurrent roles, with a 90-day written guarantee. You pay whether or not a given month produces a hire, and you pay the same whether the role is a $50,000 welder or a $120,000 project manager.
Where the break-even actually sits
Run the numbers on a single role. A journeyman electrician at the BLS median of $63,190 costs $12,600 to $15,800 in contingency fees at 20% to 25%. One hire, once. Flat-fee RPO over a quarter costs $8,997 and can carry three roles at a time.
The shape is simple. Contingency cost scales with hires; RPO cost does not. One hire in a quarter and the models are close enough that the guarantee and the shortlist quality decide it. Four hires in a quarter and RPO is roughly a sixth of the cost.
Salary basis: BLS OEWS May 2025 electrician median, $63,190 (SOC 47-2111). RPO pricing and inclusions are on the RPO page; contingency and pay-on-hire terms are on the staffing agency page.
Time to fill
Neither model is inherently faster. What makes a search fast is whether the shortlist arrives pre-verified, and whether you can decide on it quickly.
- ✓Verification up front. Checking a state licence against the issuing board before the interview removes the most common late-stage failure in trades hiring.
- ✓A 48-hour shortlist is only useful if you act on it. In a tight market, a licensed candidate has multiple offers within a fortnight. A slow internal loop wastes any speed a vendor gives you.
- ✓Continuity across roles. RPO keeps one team on your whole requisition list, so the second and third roles are faster than the first. Contingency restarts the relationship every time.
Guarantees are the part to read
The headline rate is the easy part to compare, and the least important. What protects you is the replacement guarantee: if the hire leaves inside the window, does the vendor replace them, refund you, or shrug?
Our terms are a 90-day written guarantee on both models. Ask any vendor for that in writing, ask whether it is a replacement or a refund, and ask what happens if the candidate is terminated rather than resigns. A verbal guarantee is not a guarantee.
"Compare guarantees before you compare rates. The cheapest fee is the one you end up paying twice."
When a contingency agency is the right call
- ✓You are filling one or two roles a year. Paying a monthly fee for a function you barely use makes no sense.
- ✓The role is genuinely one-off. A single senior hire, a niche credential, or a replacement you did not plan for.
- ✓You want zero risk on the downside. Pay-on-hire means the vendor carries the cost of a failed search. That is a real benefit and worth paying a percentage for.
- ✓Your internal team can absorb the process. Screening, scheduling and offer management still land on you.
When RPO is the right call
- ✓You are filling three or more roles a quarter. This is the point where contingency fees stop being defensible.
- ✓The roles are credential-heavy. Licences, certifications and right-to-work checks are repeatable work, and a standing team does them better than a fresh vendor each time.
- ✓You need cost predictability. A flat $2,999/mo is a line item you can budget. A percentage of salary is not, and it rises exactly when you hire the people you need most.
- ✓You are building a pipeline, not filling a hole. In shortage trades, the employers who win are the ones with a bench before the job is sold.
If you are unsure, start on pay-on-hire and move to RPO when your requisition list passes three open roles. That is the honest recommendation, and it is the one that costs us money in the short term. Both models are detailed on the RPO page and the staffing agency page.
- ✓Contingency agencies charge a percentage of first-year salary per hire, typically 20% to 25%. On a $70,000 electrician that is $14,000 to $17,500 per placement.
- ✓GlobalCybers RPO is a flat $2,999 a month covering up to three concurrent roles, so the cost per hire falls as volume rises.
- ✓Below roughly two hires a quarter, contingency is usually cheaper. Above it, flat-fee RPO wins on cost and on consistency.
- ✓The guarantee matters more than the headline rate: a 90-day written replacement guarantee is what protects you from paying twice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between RPO and a staffing agency?
A contingency staffing agency is paid per hire, typically 20% to 25% of first-year salary, and is paid nothing if nobody starts. RPO outsources the recruitment function itself for a flat fee, at GlobalCybers $2,999 a month covering up to three concurrent roles, regardless of how many hires land in a given month.
Is RPO cheaper than a staffing agency?
It depends on volume. On one hire a quarter the two are close: a $63,190 electrician costs about $13,900 in contingency fees at 22%, against $8,997 for a quarter of RPO. At four hires a quarter, contingency runs to roughly $54,200 while RPO stays at $8,997.
What guarantee should a staffing vendor offer?
A written replacement guarantee with a defined window. GlobalCybers offers 90 days in writing on both the RPO and pay-on-hire models. Ask whether it is a replacement or a refund, and whether it covers termination as well as resignation.
When should an employer switch from contingency to RPO?
When the requisition list reaches roughly three open roles at once, or three or more hires a quarter. Below that, pay-on-hire keeps the risk with the vendor. Above it, per-hire percentages cost several times a flat monthly fee.
Compare the two on your own numbers
Tell us how many roles you are filling this quarter and we will show you which model is cheaper, including the one that is cheaper for you and worse for us.