Freelancers busy across the board

A new survey from Interim Partners, the interim management solutions provider, suggests that there is an increased demand for interim managers and freelancers.

There was a 24% increase in new assignments for interim managers in the first quarter of this year, compared to the last quarter of 2009.

The banking sector recorded a 44% jump in assignments as mergers and acquisitions, caused by the banking crisis presented interims with an unprecedented workload.

The MD of Interim Partners, Doug Baird, pointed out that the cost savings between a well executed and a badly executed bank merger could run into hundreds of millions of pounds and therefore hiring teams of experienced interim managers to execute the job properly provides excellent value for money.

It's not only interim managers who are in demand either according to the ONS. De Poel, said that short-term demand for temporary workers and contractors increased by 2.8% in July compared with a fall of 13% in June.

These figures show that, although business activity is growing, companies still do not have the confidence to make permanent hires.

The construction sector recorded a 20% increase in temporary hires during July as opposed to a drop of 13% the previous month.

During the first quarter of this year, the use of temps rose by 55,000 as employers look to maintain workforce flexibility. Matthew Sanders, the CEO of de Poel, said that organisations appear to be looking for safe ways to respond to market growth and the use of skilled temporary workers to supplement the permanent workforce guarantees business agility and responsiveness.

Meanwhile, Michael Page International has recorded an increase in both permanent hires and international business in the first half of this year. The recruitment consultancy saw gross profits rise by 17% on the same period last year, although 71% of this was generated from outside the UK.