Telecoms, IT and financial services are the biggest users of interim managers according to a major biannual survey carried out by one of Europe''s leading IM providers.

The survey, conducted by Global Executives, highlights which job types are most popular and which industries are most switched onto using interim managers.

The survey asked more than 200 interim managers for details about their function and level of seniority, the industry sector in which they were working, the length of the contract, their day rate and how they found the work.

Global Executives managing director Nigel Corby explained: "The survey was very enlightening. Industry sectors which employed most IMs were telecoms, IT and financial services which between them booked 25% of the assignments

"Finance experts are the most frequently demanded disciplines. Thirteen per cent of respondents fell into this category, and around 20% of IMs on our database are from a finance background.

"The most popular areas of expertise were in project and general management, finance and HR, with 54% of respondents working in these disciplines.

"Technical, manufacturing and logistics roles were the least popular, with only 7% from these areas. It''s interesting to see that manufacturing, which could be argued as a vital resource to the economy, is not as popular as some service sectors such as HR.

"The manufacturing industry was responsible for only 4% of assignments over the past two years, while 32% of short term posts went to project managers, finance executives, HR and sales and marketing personnel.

"We carry out research every two years among IMs and are still in the process of analysing the findings of this latest survey. The next results will be available shortly."