9CV9 · Hiring Intelligence  |  Iraq 2027

Iraq’s Hiring Race: The 10 Recruitment Agencies Set to Dominate 2027

A consulting-grade scan of the talent partners shaping Iraq’s hiring — across oil & gas, engineering, technology and corporate roles, from Baghdad to Basra to Erbil.

10 agencies profiled6 scoring criteriaSource: 9cv9 Career Blog · 15 Nov 2026
01 · Scale at a glance

The numbers behind Iraq’s leading agencies

25,000+
Cumulative placementsAlbadyea United
2,750+
Contractors placedNES Fircroft · 15+ clients
2M+
Professional networkWRS (global)
60,000+
CVs in databaseDarjah · est. 2023

All figures are company-reported and not independently verified.

02 · Market snapshot

Where demand is heating up in Iraq

Sectors hiring
Oil & gasConstructionEngineeringITInfrastructureProfessional servicesFinanceLogisticsHealthcare
Employer headwinds
Talent shortagesSkills gapsCurrency fluctuationsTaxationBanking restrictions
Key hiring hubs
BaghdadFederal Iraq
BasraFederal Iraq
ErbilKurdistan Region
03 · The leaderboard

Top 10 recruitment agencies in Iraq for 2027

Ranked as published by 9cv9, which lists itself at #1. Scores, track record and selection checks follow.

1
9cv9 Recruitment Agency
International recruitment partner for Iraq hiring
PermanentExecutiveTechnicalCross-border
4
hiring lanes
2
mselect
Baghdad · Erbil · Basra · Sulaymaniyah · Est. 2012
EORPayrollExpat mobilityExecutive search
4
Iraqi city offices
3
NES Fircroft
Rumaila · West Qurna 1 · Zubair · Majnoon
EngineeringOil & gasConstructionEnergy
2,750+
contractors placed, 15+ Iraqi clients
4
Airswift
Baghdad office (Arasat Al-Hindiya) · Basrah Gas projects
EngineeringEnergyTechnologySTEM
1,260+
positions filled in Iraq
5
Darjah
HQ Al-Mansour, Baghdad · Est. 2023
SalesFinanceITHRPayroll software
60,000+
CVs · 17,000 job seekers
6
Shull Solutions
HQ Erbil, office in Baghdad · Est. 2019
RecruitmentEORHR outsourcingISO 9001:2015
5 days
fastest reported EOR onboarding
7
Worldwide Recruitment Solutions
UK HQ · Erbil office · In Iraq since 2014
Oil & gasEngineeringEnergyIndustrial staffing
2M+
professional network (global)
8
Pentabell
Baghdad office · Iraqi branch of UAE parent
EORAI-assisted sourcingImmigrationIT
Jan 2025
Iraqi branch registered
9
Albadyea United
Basra · Est. 2008
High-volume manpowerWork permitsResidency visas
25,000+
cumulative placements
10
Al Sabah (SES Iraq)
Basra · Est. 2010
Oil & gasEngineeringConstructionCorporate
40+ yrs
founders’ combined experience
04 · Performance scorecard

How agencies #2–#10 score out of 10

Scores are the article’s own assessments across six criteria. 9cv9 (#1) is not scored in the source table.

Agency
Compliance & EOR
Geographic reach
Recruitment scale
Industry specialization
Reputation
Commercial value
Average*
02mselect
9.4
9.8
9.0
9.2
8.6
8.4
9.07
03NES Fircroft
9.6
9.0
9.6
8.8
8.5
7.8
8.88
04Airswift
9.5
8.6
9.4
8.7
8.2
7.8
8.70
05Darjah
8.8
9.2
8.4
7.8
7.4
8.5
8.35
06Shull Solutions
9.2
8.6
7.4
8.0
8.3
8.6
8.35
07WRS
8.4
7.8
8.5
8.4
7.2
7.9
8.03
08Pentabell
8.6
7.6
7.8
8.1
7.3
7.8
7.87
09Albadyea United
8.3
7.0
8.8
7.5
7.0
8.3
7.82
10SES Iraq
8.0
7.4
7.5
7.6
6.8
7.5
7.47

*Unweighted average calculated from the six published scores.

05 · Footprint & track record

Who has been on the ground longest

Years since founding (as of 2026)
Albadyea UnitedEst. 2008
18 yrs
WRSGlobal since 2008
18 yrs
SES IraqEst. 2010
16 yrs
mselectEst. 2012
14 yrs
Shull SolutionsEst. 2019
7 yrs
DarjahEst. 2023
3 yrs
PentabellIraq branch, Jan 2025
1 yr
Agencies with an office in each city
Baghdad
5
mselect · Airswift · Darjah · Shull · Pentabell
Erbil
3
mselect · Shull · WRS
Basra
3
mselect · Albadyea · SES Iraq
Sulaymaniyah
1
mselect

Based on stated Iraq offices of 8 of the 10 agencies.

06 · Before you sign

Five checks when choosing an agency

1
Confirm industry fit
An oilfield specialist may not suit a tech start-up. Match the agency to your sector.
2
Verify licensing
Check Ministry of Labour authorisation and whether it covers Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
3
Request a customised proposal
Most agencies do not publish fees, so ask for a written, scoped quote.
4
Ask for Iraq-specific references
And clarify exactly how each agency calculates its success rate.
5
Lock down the small print
Replacement guarantees, payroll and visa costs, and contract terms.
The best partner understands your industry, delivers qualified candidates, supports compliance and aligns with your 2027 goals.
Read the full analysis: blog.9cv9.com/top-10-best-recruitment-agencies-in-iraq-for-2027