I came across this very interesting analysis of the UK ABAP contract market. Surprisingly enough, it’s all available for free!

As usual with stats, they have to be taken with a pinch of salt. However the graphs and figures make an interesting read nonetheless. The “Demand Trend” is slightly flawed, in my opinion, as the total demand is measured “as a proportion of the total demand within the Programming Languages category“. Which could mean that one could interpret this either way: a decreasing percentage could mean less demand as well as a growing overall market.

For further reference, similar figures can also be found for UK SAP jobs in general, or particular areas such as SD , XI or FI, etc – there are too many to mention – simply click on the links for each module/area to get into the category in question.

If anyone found similar stats & graphs on SAP job markets for other countries or regions, please let me know.

On a December visit back in my home town of Aachen, Germany, I had a chance to catch up with a few old friends and colleagues from my “Zivildienst” (service year) times, a service which I served from 1993-1994. I worked in a day-care center for children with behavioural problems and learning difficulties – it was a time in my working life I very much enjoyed. To me, one of the many great aspects of  Zivildienst was that it got me in contact with a lot of fascinating people.

And so it happened that Tom Keune, one of my former colleagues from my “Zivi” years who has since become an actor, told me during our last gathering back in December that he had just done some work for a German software company called “SAP” !

It now turned out that his work had been picked for public screening and I have been assured that he can be seen in one of SAP’s mid-market ads.

A link to the ads (choose ad no. 4) can be found here.

Great stuff, Tom.

Another ComputerWorld.com article with a viewpoint from Foote Partners – linked to this previous post.

Companies have largely failed to develop SAP talent in-house, and a shortage of skilled SAP workers on the open market is forcing IT departments to pay premiums to get those few that are available, according to Foote. It’s not uncommon for SAP jobs to stay unfilled for nine months, he says.

“What they’re telling us is … when hiring developers, analysts and configurators, it’s not unusual to be faced with having to pay 20% more to attract them than the people [they] currently have in those jobs,” Foote says. “That’s the price you pay for not having staffed adequately for your needs.”

SearchSAP.com’s Jon Franke interviewed David Foote of Footpartners in a Podcast, a market research group that tracks value of IT skills since 1999.

I think his separation of the SAP growth areas into 3 skills based sections (see below) is a big help for SAP professionals out in the field in order to find the path for the next 3-5 years. However, as a reader/listener I think you have to remember that his views are obviously strongly influenced by the North American SAP market.

Foote (left) observed a specialisation in functional areas: he says their research shows that a lot of newly created functional roles within SD, HR, FI, BW and Netweaver in general do now absorb the classical programming as well as analysis roles. “They’re essentially ABAP developers doing analyst work.”

The following areas are seen by him as the key areas for the next 4-5 years:

• integration and reduction
• data management, Data Warehouse, BI and BW
• modelling – “Enablers”, Architect, Business Analysts, Process Information Officers – “more or less a play for ABAPers” (Foote)

Integration and reduction: Basis admins should be looking at the integration side of things – gain consolidation skills. I would probably add that this can also (still) be a worthwhile areas for ABAPers to get into, ie SAP XI.

According to Foote, managers of large data repositories will have key skills in an SOA enabled future – current BI/BW specialists could be the key people here.

The general move into modelling tools to develop next generation apps and UIs is in general a good opportunity for ABAPers or any non-SAP developers in general. This is already gaining momentum as we speak (WebDynpro, Muse, Duet, etc.).

One interesting points obviously is how might SAPs big push into the midmarket affect SAP professionals? Foote thinks that if you’re looking for more responsibility and a wider range of skills then you might want to look at a move to a smaller company. However I doubt that a lot of SAP professionals might want to delve into a position that per se promises to be such an overly pressurising environment.

Foote also mentions that consulting companies are looking for a lot of new people and talent right now. These consutling firms are worrying that they are continually understaffed within the SAP area, he adds. People looking to move into the consulting market will find a strong demand for it within the next 4-5 years, Foote reckons – however they have to weigh up the lifestyle issues due to travelling etc.

Foote’s view on outsourcing as a danger for SAP professionals? The closer you are to the “family jewels”, the more likely it is that companies keep the work on-site rather than outsource. I really like that comparison !

In general, Foote sees SAP as a great area to work in. He encourages people to press their employers hard for retention and remuneration, as his observations currently indicate an “employees market”. However he also has some slight warnings ready as he points to the boom and bust of IT security specialists after 9/11.