EU faces growing shortage of SAP S/4HANA specialists
European employers are facing a shortage of SAP specialists as projects linked to S/4HANA migrations and cloud adoption move from planning into delivery, according to recruitment firm Eursap.
Pressure is rising as organisations work towards SAP's end-of-maintenance deadline for ECC in 2027. Many companies still run core finance, supply chain, and manufacturing processes on ECC. S/4HANA moves those processes onto SAP's newer ERP platform. Large programmes can take years and require a mix of business and technical skills.
Daniel Patel, Director at Eursap, said the market reflects a structural shift rather than a short-term rush for contractors and consultants.
"Across the EU, we are seeing a structural shift rather than a temporary hiring spike. S/4HANA migration programmes are no longer theoretical roadmaps. They are live projects with fixed deadlines. That urgency is exposing deep capability gaps across both functional and technical SAP roles."
The shortage also reflects how S/4HANA skills are built. Consultants and architects typically build credibility through repeated delivery cycles across industries and project phases. That makes it difficult for employers to fill roles quickly when many organisations launch major transformations at the same time.
"The talent pool is limited because S/4HANA expertise requires project exposure. You cannot fast-track ten years of implementation experience. That is where the market tension sits."
Recruitment challenges are most visible in senior roles that span multiple workstreams. These positions often carry responsibility for programme governance, solution design, risk management, and alignment between business units and IT teams.
Hard-to-fill roles
Eursap sees the strongest competition for S/4HANA Programme Managers, Solution Architects, and senior Functional Consultants. It also highlighted modules including FI/CO, SD, MM, and EWM as areas where candidates remain scarce.
"The most difficult roles to fill across the EU are S/4HANA Programme Managers, Solution Architects, and senior Functional Consultants in modules such as FI/CO, SD, MM, and EWM. There is also growing competition for SAP Basis and technical integration specialists with S/4 and cloud migration experience."
On the technical side, demand has shifted from traditional development and administration to a combination of SAP platform knowledge and integration experience. Employers also want candidates who can work across on-premise and cloud environments.
"Classic ABAP knowledge is no longer enough. Employers want experience in Fiori, BTP, embedded analytics, and API integration. That combination significantly narrows the candidate pool."
Time-to-hire is another pressure point. General technology roles may already take weeks to fill. Specialised SAP positions often take longer because suitable candidates tend to be in work and tied to project commitments.
"General IT roles in Europe tend to fill in around 44 days on average for permanent recruitment, according to 2025 recruitment benchmarks, but specialised and senior positions like those within the SAP ecosystem often push well beyond 90 days due to limited candidate availability and higher experience requirements."
Three gaps
Patel highlighted three areas where organisations struggle to secure experienced staff. First is leadership across full lifecycle migration projects. Many candidates have deep knowledge in one SAP module or business area, but fewer have delivered end-to-end transformations spanning design, build, testing, cutover planning, and post-go-live stabilisation.
"First, there is a clear experience gap in end-to-end S/4 transformation leadership. Many consultants have module expertise, but fewer have delivered full lifecycle migrations at scale."
Second is cloud architecture and SAP's Business Technology Platform. Many organisations now run hybrid landscapes across cloud services, on-premise systems, and third-party applications, increasing the need for integration and security skills across the environment.
"Second, cloud architecture and SAP BTP capability are lagging behind demand. As organisations move toward RISE with SAP and cloud-hosted environments, they need professionals who understand infrastructure, security, and integration together."
Third is mid-seniority talent. Employers often seek people with several years of S/4HANA project exposure who can lead workstreams within a programme structure. Patel said the market is weighted toward junior profiles and highly senior contractors.
"Third, there is a widening mid-seniority gap. We see strong demand for professionals with five to eight years of S/4 exposure, yet much of the available talent sits either at junior level or at highly senior contractor level."
Regional patterns
Hiring demand varies across Europe, Eursap said. Germany remains the biggest market by volume, driven by its industrial base and long-established SAP estates. France and Benelux continue to recruit steadily, with demand linked to manufacturing and logistics.
"Germany continues to lead in overall SAP hiring volume, driven by its industrial base and large ECC legacy footprint. France and the Benelux region show steady demand, particularly in manufacturing and logistics. Meanwhile, the Nordics are heavily cloud-focused, with a strong appetite for BTP and integration specialists."
In Southern Europe, transformation work is increasing, Patel said, although budget constraints influence whether organisations recruit permanent staff or rely on interim specialists.
He also pointed to workplace practices as a factor in long-term resourcing, arguing that employers that manage departures well can improve their ability to rehire former staff and maintain professional networks.
"Employers who normalise thoughtful exits see stronger alumni networks and higher boomerang hiring rates. Simple actions, such as encouraging farewells, allowing time for handovers, and recognising contributions, reinforce a culture of respect. In modern workplaces, how people leave is as important as how they are onboarded."