The SAP job market is doing very well at this time. This is a reflection of the success that
SAP has achieved in the marketplace. The Oracle/PeopleSoft merger has increased opportunities as many customers do not want
to deal with the uncertainities caused by the merger and the lack of a future roadmap for the combined entity.
All
areas of SAP are doing quite well, with some doing even better than others. The highly sought after skills are the technical
(NetWeaver, Web AS, Basis) and BW/SEM. Due to the growth, the consulting companies like IBM and Deloitte, as well smaller
consulting companies, have been on a hiring spree as they anticipate shortages in the SAP labor market in the near future.
This scenario has created opportunities for independent consultants who can command premium rates. However, some
consultants are missing the boat and have had to face considerable downtime due to their inability to compromise on their
rates. A simple rule of thumb should be that if you don not have anything in the pipeline, take the contract as an extended
downtime will seriously erode the overall income/rate for the consultant. Another point to remember is that a consultant on
the bench has far less leverage than one whose contract is ending.
There are a number of websites that provide very
good job leads. The leading ones for SAP professionals are www.dice.com, www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.com,