Nearly half of interim managers are feeling the impact of the downturn already according to research by interim provider Russam GMS.

Respondents to the ‘Recession and the Interim Manager’ research cited a rise in projects being withdrawn at the last minute, companies choosing internal candidates over interims, an increase in the number of Interims going for the same jobs, new interims coming into the market and a squeeze on daily rates.

Other major gripes were that some companies are taking longer to make decisions about recruitment and far longer to pay them.
Around 72% of interims believe that things will get worse before they get better.

Many interims however, were more optimistic, convinced that in a constantly changing climate, there will be a need for experienced interim  managers to deal with change management projects, restructuring and recovery situations.

Turnaround projects, credit and working capital control work and assignments within central and local government departments were also considered areas of opportunity. Those who had lived through previous recessions were also more upbeat about the downturn – some actually see this one as short-term.