Blog

At Speller we are often asked what is the most in demand roles within SAP. We've done some analysis of the Speller team’s performance in 2020 to identify 5 roles that we feel are in demand from customers and some of the reasons why.

SAP SuccessFactors

SuccessFactors has been performing strongly for the last few years and 2020 is no exception. There have been numerous projects taking place across Australia, as it can be integrated to other ERP’s, it can be implemented standalone or as part of a wider SAP ERP transformation.

We have seen around 20 roles in SuccessFactors in 2020 and we have found filling these roles at times quite tricky. SuccessFactors requires consultants to be certified to perform the more detailed configuration elements of the product and there is a lack of talent with the relevant certifications and experience in a number of SuccessFactors modules. This tied to the increased demand makes this one of the most in demand SAP technologies.

S/4 Architect

At Speller we have seen a spike in demand in 2020 for S/4 architects, as ECC moves to the end of its lifespan clients are beginning to make the jump to S/4. The Australian market has had a relatively cautious uptake of S/4 compared to the rest of the world, however we are starting to see more implementations slowly happen.

As there have not been a huge amount of S/4 implementation in Australia, S/4 architects have become a bit of a chicken or the egg problem with clients asking for Australian S/4 experience and the market having only very few resources available. This has started to shift as more people gain experience, however they are still very much an in demand skill set.

Hana Modelers / BW4Hana

In 2020 we have seen an increase in demand for the latest and greatest BW and modelling skills that SAP can offer. As S/4 Hana offers numerous opportunities for real time analytical solutions, this is one of the key areas that business can leverage to gain value from their S/4 systems. We have seen a number of interesting innovations in this area as customers begin to use real time data to deliver new innovative insights to the business.

As BW4Hana and modelling within Hana is still relatively new (in SAP terms) there is still a lack of skills in this area. The projects tend to be technical, however also require a high level of problem solving and engagement with the business to build a solution that delivers value. Good consultants therefore need a number of skills across slightly different areas to be successful. This makes good consultants hard to find, in demand and valuable.

ABAP

In 2020 we have continued to see a strong demand for ABAP developers. Although not as hard to find as some of the areas listed above, we have seen that ABAP developers with S/4 experience or ABAP developers with experience with newer technologies for example CPI, Fiori, SAP Cloud Platform, have been difficult to find.

We are starting to see more and more clients implement these technologies and more developers becoming upskilled. However, there is still sometimes an issue with more classic ABAP developers getting the opportunity to upskill in these areas, which creates a slight lack of talent with the newer technologies.

Change Managers

In 2020 organisations had to adapt to a very different way of working in a very short space of time. Change managers generally look after communications as well as change and this was obviously a key skill in 2020 as companies worked out and communicated how employees, projects and the day to day running of large business could be done from home. This made SAP change managers an in demand skill for 2020 as we saw a lot of the talent tied up in helping SAP teams move to WFH.

If you want to share any insights you may have about in demand roles in SAP in 2020, please feel free to comment on our LinkedIn page. For more insights and information about SAP and the Speller team, connect with us on LinkedIn.