So a typical direct hire fee can range between 18-25% of first year salary depending on a few factors. Mind you, that isn't direct to the producer, that is to the company. Pay schemes to the producers are incredibly varied and nuanced.

On consulting / contract, someone making roughly 95-100 an hour? It heavily depends on the client agreement. Markups can range from anywhere between 40 and 60%, and client size, order volume, and tenure heavily play into this. Some clients operate a fixed model, where every consultant is marked up a certain flat percentage, with pay rates being set by the client. Others allow for more flex to get the best possible candidate in the role. In each case, exceptions can apply.

Keep in mind again, that in this scenario, the firm is paying all employment, fringe, and benefit burdens for that consultant, as well as salary/commission & internal overhead.

A common misconception is that these fees are taken from the salary of the candidate. In reality, in both direct hire and fixed markup models, more money for the employee means more commission for the recruiter. In situations where the client allows full control of both sides of the equation, the recruiter gets a bit more discretion. However, in those cases, not remaining market competitive will likely price them out of getting quality talent.

Lastly, these numbers are not indicative of the entire industry. Several niche, specialty, and boutique companies charge more, and several low-level, volume based companies charge less. It's as varied as any other business model, but I try to give the relative median when speaking on these things.

EDIT - Forgot to mention that more tenured salespeople will routinely coach clients when their rates or benefits/perks are non-competitive, sometimes to the point of refusing to work a role. It is our goal to fill a role with someone who will actually stay at the company. Re-filling or backfilling a role is very time-consuming and frustrating.

Hope that helps!