The public sector hired the most interim managers last year, according to latest research.

One fifth (20%) of Britain’s 7,000 interim managers were employed by government bodies last year, whilst financial services, the second largest employer for such skills, used 13%.

This, however, is a significant drop from the previous year, in which public organisations hired 35% of the market’s interim managers.

The study from interim management consultancy Praxis has also found that this skills group achieved higher salaries than ever before, as the average daily wage rose by almost £100 to £680 in 2005.

The best paying sectors include finance, pharmaceuticals and telecoms, whilst the public sector was amongst those offering the lowest salaries.