A surge in demand for interim IT directors, created by companies launching new IT projects, has pushed their pay up 34% over the past year to £80 per hour.

According to research by iProfileStat and the Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo) IT departments are coming under growing pressure to contain the runaway cost of IT projects by reducing permanent staffing costs.

Ann Swain, ATSCo chief executive, says: “The work of IT departments tends to be project-led with each stage of an IT project requiring different skills, so interim staff are a useful tool, which has become more widespread as the market has picked up.”

ATSCo says that taking on interim IT directors allows companies to access the kind of skills and experience they might normally have to purchase at higher rates from management consulting firms.