Of course, the corona crisis is hitting it hard, also at Planet Interim. But the previous months were so good that the platform is able to report a growth of 33% over the first six months, both in the number of assignments and the number of registered professionals. Apart from the corona crisis, the platform is doing well, according to initiator Niels van Berkel. This is how Planet Interim is expanding, also internationally. See for example the sites in Belgium, France, Germany, the UK en last but not least Bulgaria.
On the platform, however, since the corona crisis, the number of assignments and the number of registrations of interim professionals has decreased. In the second quarter of 2020, only professionals in the media and legal advice sectors found more new work. However, the year 2020 started so well in Q1 that in the first six months of the year the platform still shows a solid growth of over 33% compared to the previous year. Both in the number of assignments and in the number of professionals who registered or updated their profile. Because the online platform also maps relevant online assignments from more than 300 mediators and social media for its members, the platform provides a good picture of the interim market as a whole. Therefore, just like every six months, Planet Interim made an analysis of the profiles and assignments. the 'Planet Interim Index'.
Sectors: many descenders, two risers
The number of new assignments for highly educated interim managers and independent professionals fell sharply in the second quarter, i.e. since the corona-andemic. While in the first three months of 2020 there were still 22,500 new assignments from all disciplines added together on Planet Interim, in the second quarter there were 16,400..
The number of orders fell in almost all sectors, especially in tourism and the hotel and catering industry (-64%). In the pharmaceuticals sector, the decrease was relatively modest (3%). Within two sectors, the number of orders actually increased. Last quarter, there were more new assignments for professionals in the media sector (+35%) and in the legal advice sector (+22%) than in the first three months of this year.
Areas of expertise: decline across all disciplines
The 'largest field of expertise', measured by the number of assignments, has been IT for years. The number of interim IT jobs fell by 22%, while assignments in the second largest field, Finance, fell by 29%. Furthermore, assignments in the fields of Education, Legal & Tax and Care & Medical fell less than IT and Finance by 12, 10 and 7% respectively..
Biggest impacts
The biggest hits in the second quarter were the number of assignments in the fields of Tourism & Hospitality with an 81% drop, HR with a 62% drop and Marketing with 41% fewer assignments in the market. "Before the corona crisis there were on average 28% more assignments than after," says Niels van Berkel, founder of Planet Interim. "In addition, there were fewer registrations of professionals on our platform in the second quarter."
"Temporary apathy"
Van Berkel calls it a 'temporary apathy of the entire flex market'. He emphasises that the year started off excellently, with considerable growth compared to 2019. "The first three months were so good, in fact, that Planet Interim grew in the first six months of 2020. There were more than 33% more assignments and 35% more registered professionals than during the same period a year earlier". The number of assignments is now picking up again, he told ZiPconomy earlier.