I spend every day speaking with clients, candidates, and partners across the SAP market. What I see consistently is both a growing demand for SAP skills and a shortage of available talent. With the 2027 S/4HANA deadline approaching, programmes are accelerating It's the companies that fail to secure the right people that are showing signs of falling behind.
In this article, I’ll share my direct insights into the current SAP market, where organisations are struggling and the strategies businesses should prioritise to secure the right SAP talent.
Leadership and Ownership in SAP Programmes
One of the biggest shifts I'm seeing is how companies are structuring their SAP programmes. Increasingly, businesses are appointing leaders from within the organisation. These leaders often come from a business background rather than an IT background.
This brings real benefits. Leaders who know the organisation on a deeper level bring stakeholder buy-in, process knowledge and commercial understanding. But the challenge is that without technical expertise, these leaders often lean too heavily on system integrators (SIs) or IT teams.
The strongest programmes are those where business leaders and IT specialists work side-by-side, combining business vision with technical delivery know-how.
Another trend is the push to role consolidation, which may look efficient but risks spreading people too thin and leaving gaps. On top of this, contractors are increasingly expected to spend more time on-site. This can strengthen relationships but simultaneously limits flexibility and availability, making resourcing a central challenge.
Programme Delivery and Strategy
System integrators remain vital partners, but over-reliance is a recurring issue. They bring scale and experience but costs are high, approaches can be rigid and knowledge often leaves when they do.
The best organisations use SIs as partners, not as the whole solution. Internal ownership of your strategy and governance is essential.
I also see too many businesses experiencing failed implementations, often due to a mix of the following:
An unclear strategy
The wrong mix of people
Weak governance
Recovering from a failed SAP implementation can cost more than the original rollout, which is why getting your resourcing and strategy right from the outset is non-negotiable.
Then there's AI, the hottest topic in every boardroom. While the potential is clear, very few companies have a structured plan. There is more hype than delivery. Without a defined roadmap, AI risks becoming a distraction rather than a value driver.
Global rollouts are also a focus area. Increasingly, companies are seeking native language speakers in key regions of their S/4 programmes to ensure adoption, cultural alignment and long-term success. Overlooking this leads to stalling and change fail to embed.
Talent and Resourcing in the SAP Market
This is where I see both the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities. SAP transformations either fail or succeed based on the strength of the people driving them.
Why Specialist Recruitment Matters
Many companies are moving away from generalist HR or talent acquisition functions, instead turning to specialist SAP recruitment partners. This ensures access to niche expertise and a stronger network of SAP professionals.
Pricing, however, is still driving too many decisions. I regularly see businesses try to secure top talent below market averages. This only results in weaker hires, slower delivery and costly programme delays. Paying fairly for SAP expertise is an investment, not an expense.
Permanent Hiring Challenges
On the permanent side, SAP professionals typically expect a 10-15% salary increase when moving roles. Companies that don't factor this in lose candidates to counteroffers. While these counteroffers may buy time, they rarely fix underlying issues and these candidates usually re-enter the job market within a year.
A realistic salary strategy from the outset ensures stronger hires and avoids wasted time.
Final Thoughts
The SAP market is full of opportunity, but only if you make the right choices in how you resource and structure your programmes. From my experience, the businesses that succeed will be those who:
Combine business and IT leadership to drive SAP transformations
Partner with SIs without becoming dependent
Invest in specialist SAP recruitment and avoid shortcuts
Recognise the true cost of SAP talent and pay fairly
Build rollout strategies that factor in culture, language and adoption
Focus on practical AI strategies rather than hype
For organisations looking to get ahead, now is the time to act. The right people in the right roles at the right time will make the difference between success and failure.
If you’d like deeper market insight, consultancy on shaping your programme and resourcing strategy or support with key hires globally to deliver your transformation, I’d be happy to share what I’m seeing and help shape the right approach. The opportunity is huge but only if you get the people and the strategy right.
