Rising demand for interim managers

There has been a surge in demand for interim managers as businesses feel the weak economic environment makes it too risky to engage senior staff on a more permanent basis, an industry report by the Interim Management Association has revealed. In the third quarter of last year, the UK recorded a 22 per cent increase in demand from all sectors, with more than two in five of all temporary managers taking up positions in the banking and financial services sectors.

Paystream.co.uk reports that Andrew McIntee, from recruitment specialist Interim Partners, said: “One new area of demand is for interims that have experience to help banks work through the restructuring of the large portfolios of distressed debt.” He went on to say that interim managers bring the benefit of an objective view on the business, helping to identify problems that permanent staff may be unable to see.

This follows research by Interim Partners itself, which found this month that one in five senior managers expect businesses will be seeking specialists who can bring their company back from the financial brink this year. Change management was also identified as one of the most important focuses for those in managerial roles in 2012.