Launching a high-growth manpower and recruitment venture in the UAE is now more accessible than ever, with licensing at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone starting at AED 12,500 per year. In a market defined by an international workforce of over 9 million people, the demand for sophisticated talent acquisition is perpetual. 

The UAE labour market is one of the largest and most diverse in the world, with a workforce spanning over 200 nationalities across every industry sector. Recruitment agencies, employment placement businesses, temporary staffing providers, and HR outsourcing firms serve consistent commercial demand from UAE employers seeking to source, screen, and deploy global talent across every industrial sector.  

Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone provides a professional licensed UAE base for businesses operating in the workforce solutions sector. Whether you are launching a boutique executive search firm or a digital-first recruitment platform, this ecosystem offers 100% foreign ownership and a tax-efficient base to scale your human capital venture. 

For a full overview of the Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone setup process, refer to our guide for modern entrepreneurs. 

Scope of Manpower and Recruitment Agency 

Manpower and recruitment at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone covers employment placement, online recruitment, temporary employment agency activities, and general HR provision.  

General employment placement codes carry no pre-approval requirements. Labour recruitment brokerage, medical manpower supply, and temporary labour supply codes require Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) pre-approval. 

Dubai's workforce is predominantly international, with expatriates making up the majority of the professional and technical workforce. Regular talent movement across sectors, consistent business expansion across technology, and ongoing demand from new market entrants create persistent recruitment and staffing demand. For recruitment businesses, this translates into a consistently active market with opportunities across executive search, specialist professional recruitment, contract staffing, and volume operational staffing. 

Check Your Manpower and Recruitment Trade Name 

Your trade name is the cornerstone of your professional reputation in the recruitment industry. Before finalizing your candidate portals or corporate identity, you must ensure your chosen name is available and strictly compliant with UAE naming laws.  

The name check tool allows you to verify availability instantly, ensuring your 24-hour setup remains fast and frictionless. Validating your name early is a tactical necessity for establishing a compliant and authoritative market presence at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone. 

Get Your Manpower and Recruitment License 

With setup costs starting from AED 12,500, scaling a recruitment agency at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone requires absolute financial clarity. Before committing to your launch, you must have a clear, itemized understanding of your total investment, particularly when factoring in team visas and workspace requirements.  

The Cost Calculator allows you to find out your entire setup pricing instantly from the base license fee and VAT registration to residency visa allocations for your consultants. By using this tool early, you eliminate financial ambiguity and ensure your workforce enterprise is built on a transparent and predictable fiscal foundation. 

Business Activity Codes for Employment Placement Agencies 

• 7810.00   Employment Placement Agencies 

• 7810.03   Online Employment Placement Agencies 

• 7820.00   Temporary Employment Agency Activities 

• 7830.00   Other Human Resources Provision 

• 7810.97   Labour Recruitment Brokerage Office Services (MOHRE pre-approval required) 

• 7810.99   Medical Manpower Supply (MOHRE PRE-approval required) 

• 7820.97   On Demand Labour Supply (Temporary Employment) (MOHRE PRE-approval required) 

Employment Placement Agencies: 7810.00 / 7810.03 

Employment Placement Agencies (7810.00) is the primary code for recruitment businesses at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone. It covers the professional matching of candidates to permanent or contract employment opportunities across industry sectors. Online Employment Placement Agencies (7810.03) covers the digital dimension of recruitment, including online job platforms, digital talent marketplaces, and technology-enabled recruitment services. Both codes carry no pre-approval requirements at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone. 

Instead of operating as a generic recruitment firm, your business can position itself around a specific hiring segment, such as specialist executive agency placing senior professionals in UAE financial services, technology, and healthcare organisations. Or an online recruitment platform connecting UAE employers with vetted mid-level candidates across commercial and operational functions, operating a digital-first business model. 

Third-Party Approval: None.  |  AML / DNFBP: Exempt.

Temporary Employment Agency Activities: 7820.00 

Temporary Employment Agency Activities (7820.00) covers the provision of temporary staff to client organisations on a contract basis. This code supports staffing agencies that place workers on short-term and project-based assignments with UAE employer clients, covering temporary office staff, event staff, and short-term operational personnel. No pre-approval is required for this code. 

Third-Party Approval: None.  |  AML / DNFBP: Exempt. 

HR Provision: 7830.00 

Other Human Resources Provision (7830.00) covers the supply of personnel to client organisations on an outsourced or secondment basis that does not fall within standard labour recruitment brokerage. This code supports HR outsourcing business models where your entity employs personnel and deploys them to client organisations under service agreements. No pre-approval is required. 

Third-Party Approval: None.  |  AML / DNFBP: Exempt. 

MOHRE-Regulated Codes: 7810.97 / 7810.99 / 7820.97 

Standard employment placement and online recruitment codes (7810 series) do not require third-party approval at the licensing stage.  

However, high-sensitivity workforce activities require pre-approval from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Labour Recruitment Brokerage Office Services (7810.97) covering the brokerage of labour supply for blue-collar and operational workers. Medical Manpower Supply (7810.99) focusing on the placement and supply of healthcare professionals. And On Demand Labour Supply (7820.97) that covers the real-time provision of temporary labour to employer clients. All three require MOHRE pre-approval before your Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone license is issued, reflecting the Ministry's regulatory role in governing labour supply activities in the UAE.

Third-Party Approval: MOHRE PRE for 7810.97, 7810.99, and 7820.97.  |  AML / DNFBP: Exempt. 

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) & DNFBP Compliance 

Standard recruitment and HR entities at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone are currently classified as Exempt from the DNFBP registration requirements. You are not required to manage the complex goAML filings mandated for high-risk sectors. This significantly reduces your administrative overhead; however, recruitment firms are expected to maintain transparent records of corporate service agreements to keep their corporate bank accounts in good standing. 

Why Dubai for Manpower and Recruitment Businesses? 

The UAE labour market is one of the most dynamic in the world. 

With a workforce made up of over 200 nationalities and businesses expanding across sectors like technology, healthcare, logistics, and hospitality, the demand for recruitment and staffing services remains consistent. Companies are not just hiring, they are continuously replacing, scaling, and restructuring their teams. 

Consistent economic growth, expansion across technology, healthcare, logistics, and hospitality, and regular workforce turnover in an expat-majority population create sustained demand for recruitment-related services. For manpower and recruitment businesses, Dubai provides a commercially active market from day one alongside a business-friendly regulatory environment for professional services. 

How to Apply for Your Manpower Business License at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone 

At Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone, a manpower and recruitment business can be established from AED 12,500 per year, providing a licensed UAE base to operate across employment placement, staffing, and HR services.  

Browse the business activities list to select activities codes that are relevant to your business service and structure. Once your activity codes and company name are confirmed, the application process is fully digital. Employment placement, online recruitment, temporary staffing, and HR provision activities carry no pre-approval requirements, allowing eligible applications to be licensed within one business day. 

For activities that require MOHRE approval, Beyond Hub supports the pre-approval process alongside all post-licensing steps, including visas, corporate bank account setup, and compliance requirements, ensuring your business is operational without unnecessary delays.