Consultants are considered to be specialist and experts in their field who give advice and guidance to organisations and companies. Consultants or contractors as they are also known can either be self employed or they can work as a partner in a private company or consulting firm.

The number of consultants being employed in the public sector and government departments has increased steadily over the last decade. This development has not been welcomed by certain government, council and local authority employees. Critics feel that the money spent on employing freelance consultants could be better spent on in house on recruiting permanent public sector jobs and positions.

The sectors that consultants can typically be found is very wide, for instance management, technology, law, accountancy etc.

Types of work that management consultants perform
Typically they aim to help public sector organisations as well as corporate and private sector companies to improve the service they offer to their clients and also to improve their own performance.

They do this by advising on issues like best practise, cost cutting measures, new workplace technology etc. Whatever people feel about their role in the public sector the fact remains that demand for their services has continued to grow through over the last 20 years. It has been reported that the UK government has spent over £20 Billion on management consultants between 1997 and 2006.