IMA data reveals positive signs for interim sector
19 September 2013
The interim management sector is showing positive signs for growth, according to the latest survey from the Interim Management Association (IMA).
Thu, 19 Sep 2013The interim management sector is showing positive signs for growth, according to the latest survey from the Interim Management Association (IMA).
Ipsos MORI data for Q2 2013 from the IMA, one of the bodies that represents the interim management provider industry, points to the highest industry growth rates for the sector since the survey began in 2006.
The overall number of new assignments started increased by 8% in the last quarter (409 compared to 377) – a figure that has continued to increase since Q3, 2012. According to the IMA, when looking at the net difference between new assignments started and those completed, this has doubled and remains positive at +84.
When it came to the number of assignments in progress per IMA member, this declined from 67 in Q1 to 62 in Q2. However, this was an increase on the same quarter in 2012, and has steadily improved over the past year, reaching a peak in Q4, 2012 at 68 per member.
The length of assignments has also seen a massive increase in the last quarter up to 181 days, compared to 130 in Q1.
Another positive trend reflected in the survey is the fact that the share or female interim executives has increased by 7 percentage points, up to 35% in total – the highest figure since 2010.
Jason Atkinson, chairman of the IMA and managing director at Russam Interim, says: “As the economy progresses, the interim management sector is fast to pick up, given the flexible resourcing option it provides. Interestingly, we are also seeing a number of organisations bringing interims in with a view to making a particular job permanent – companies are ‘testing the water’, and then creating the long-term definition around a role.”
Ipsos MORI data for Q2 2013 from the IMA, one of the bodies that represents the interim management provider industry, points to the highest industry growth rates for the sector since the survey began in 2006.
The overall number of new assignments started increased by 8% in the last quarter (409 compared to 377) – a figure that has continued to increase since Q3, 2012. According to the IMA, when looking at the net difference between new assignments started and those completed, this has doubled and remains positive at +84.
When it came to the number of assignments in progress per IMA member, this declined from 67 in Q1 to 62 in Q2. However, this was an increase on the same quarter in 2012, and has steadily improved over the past year, reaching a peak in Q4, 2012 at 68 per member.
The length of assignments has also seen a massive increase in the last quarter up to 181 days, compared to 130 in Q1.
Another positive trend reflected in the survey is the fact that the share or female interim executives has increased by 7 percentage points, up to 35% in total – the highest figure since 2010.
Jason Atkinson, chairman of the IMA and managing director at Russam Interim, says: “As the economy progresses, the interim management sector is fast to pick up, given the flexible resourcing option it provides. Interestingly, we are also seeing a number of organisations bringing interims in with a view to making a particular job permanent – companies are ‘testing the water’, and then creating the long-term definition around a role.”
