The banking & finance sector accounted for just under half (48%) of UK interim manager assignments in Q2 2012, a period that also saw the total number of assignments and the length of the assignments increase.

This is according to the Q2 report from the Interim Management Association (IMA), compiled by Ipsos MORI, which saw the average number of assignments in progress growing from 1,134 in Q1 to 1,218 in the next three months.

The average length of assignments has increased from 152 days in Q1 to 211 in Q2.

Other than banking, sectors with significant demand were the IT & telecoms sectors with 12% of assignments, and the chemical, biotech & pharma industry (6%) and manufacturing (6%).