The SAP talent market isn’t small. It’s competitive — and far more nuanced than most people realise.

The United States alone has an estimated:

• 25,000–30,000 SAP customer organizations

• 120,000–200,000 SAP professionals

On paper, that sounds like a deep and accessible talent pool.

But the reality looks very different when you break it down.

Using the midpoint, that’s roughly 160,000 SAP professionals supporting around 27,500 organizations — an average of just 5–6 SAP professionals per company.

And expertise isn’t evenly distributed.

Large enterprises have dozens, sometimes hundreds  of SAP specialists internally.

Meanwhile, thousands of mid-market organizations operate with lean teams, where every person plays a critical role in keeping systems stable and enabling future transformation.

We've seen some companies build world-class SAP teams.

We've seen some companies build, average teams (Head scratching hires)

And then I’ve seen some organizations that don’t fully understand what they need — searching for the mythical SAP FICO / EAM / PP / EWM / TM all-in-one expert.

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Then there’s the iceberg effect.

Based on typical market behaviour (estimates):

• 8–12% are actively looking 

• 25–35% are open, but not actively searching 

• 55–67% are not looking at all

Most companies compete for attention across same small active talent pool — while barely reaching the much larger markets

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If you're a CIO or VP of IT, attracting top SAP talent requires more than posting a job and an email.

Your internal teams and recruitment partners should be positioning your opportunity like it’s something exceptional — not just another role.

Because saying “we have S/4HANA on our roadmap” is no longer a differentiator.

It’s table stakes.

If you want to access people who already know what “great” looks like, you first have to ask:

Why would someone who is happy, secure, and valued in their current role choose you?

You also have to be selective and intentional. You need to know exactly who to target, where they sit today, and whether they would realistically consider a move. The best SAP talent isn’t found on job boards without stiff competition — everyone with a LinkedIn profile has access to that same visible layer.

The real market sits below the surface. It’s accessed through proactive recruitment, trusted networks, previous working relationships, specialist referrals, credible value-led outreach, cold calls, and a disciplined multi-channel approach. That’s the difference between reactive hiring and strategic talent acquisition — and over time, it’s what consistently wins.

And the real challenge? Having the credibility and positioning to engage someone who says they’re ‘not interested’ — and turning that into a conversation. That’s what separates reactive hiring from strategic talent acquisition.

That’s what builds exceptional SAP teams.

If it’s taking three months to hire one SAP professional, it’s rarely because the talent doesn’t exist.

It’s because your process is too reactive.

Reactive Recruitment = Reactive Results.