Public sector interim management placements has outstripped the demand in the private sector for the first time since tracking began in 2006.

According to findings from the Interim Management Association’s (IMA) Ipsos MORI report, 51% of all completed interim assignments in Q2 were from the public sector, up from 43% in Q1.

The latest findings show local government (30%), healthcare (25%) and non-departmental government bodies (10%) specifically as key areas of the public sector pushing demand up for interim managers.

IMA chairman, Paul Botting explains: “This is the first time that we have seen public sector demand outweigh that of the private sector, even if it is only marginally. Today, public sector organisations face more pressure than ever to deliver a wide range of services. 

“That means delivering even higher levels of quality and service and putting resources to the front-line, which is no mean feat in the depths of a recession; and this is where independent specialist interim managers come in.”

Still strong within the private sector, banking and finance once again took top spot with a quarter (25%) of assignments, followed by IT and telecommunications with 12%, and pharmaceuticals with 10%.

With the recession still impacting heavily on the UK economy, business programme and project management remains the most requested reason for assignment with a third (33%) of overall demand, with gap management (28%) and business improvement (21%) next in popularity.