Sunday, November 11, 2007

Strong demand for SAP skills in Asia


Regional job prospects are looking good for SAP consultants, with hiring companies willing to offer attractive compensation packages just to get the best talent.
According to Kelly Chua, consultant for the IT and telecommunications practice with Hudson Singapore, demand is "strong" in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Thailand and Australia for SAP functional skills such as financial accounting and controlling (FICO), materials management (MM), and production planning (PP).


"Overall, the demand for such expertise is higher in discrete and process manufacturing industries, where the companies usually utilize a wider spectrum of SAP modules for different business areas," Chua said in an e-mail.
Although there is little difference between entry-level positions across the different technology areas, experienced SAP consultants generally command higher paychecks than the average IT professional, she said.


"SAP consultants are paid a premium for their specific SAP project experience," said Chua. "Career prospects and development are good since there is a demand for these skill sets and companies are willing to pay good money for the best consultants."


How much one earns depends on several factors including the specific modules of specialization, as well as market demand and supply.
"In Singapore, for example, an SAP HR (human resources) consultant may be in the lower payscale compared to SAP SD (Sales and Distribution) where the general demand for SAP SD is higher," said Chua.


There is also a difference between working for an IT consulting company and in an end-user environment, and compensation also depends on the amount of travel required and the country of work.


Chua said a consultant can choose to continue to specialize and hone his skills as a SAP subject matter expert, take up managerial responsibilities, or even lead a team and work his way up to senior business or application management.


"If you are already in an organization that implements SAP software, you can explore opportunities for internal transfers to get the relevant experience. Once you have clocked one to two full-cycle implementation projects, you can be considered as an experienced SAP consultant," she noted.


Manvinder Malik, assistant sales director for IT consultancy Genovate Solutions, said SAP consultants can hail from different walks of life; one can have functional skills or domain expertise.


"A HR manager can take up a course, and find a job as a SAP HR consultant either in an end-user environment or a consulting company," said Malik. "As you gain project experience, say, six months to a year, you can expand into other areas."


Career advancement opportunities are also not limited to the SAP field. "A consultant can take on a project lead role and later move on to become an IT head or CTO," said Malik.
And how important is obtaining professional certification? Chua said: "SAP certification is definitely nice to have, but it does not guarantee a smooth transition to a SAP career.
"Ultimately, companies are still looking at specific and related work experience in SAP," she explained. "Strong communication skills and industry background will serve as a good foundation for an SAP consultant."


According to SAP, there are more than 8,000 SAP customer installations in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, and the German software giant has about 1,600 SAP consultants based in this region.
Senta Ritter, who oversees SAP's global HR field services, said the company continues to ensure it has a strong pool of consultants who can serve the market. Training is also provided at boot camps where participants pick up tips on strategy, consulting and change management, Ritter said.
"Every region has a training budget that ensures re-skilling and training," she said, adding that new roles and career paths are continuously defined and mapped out for SAP staff.

source: ZDNetAsia

Related links:

Philippine faces IT Skills Shortage

SAP Consultant Asks Pay Questions


I'm an Accenture employee, if you're interested to pursue your career in SAP or in IT, you can leave your email addresses in comments, I'll try my best to refer you.

20 comments:

zechita said...

Are u from the Philippines? I'd like to work in Accenture specially in that SAP area. I'm a Commerce grad but I've read in some discussion boards that one doesn't necessarily be an I.T grad if u want to get in.

GVT said...

hi chuykuy, yes I am from Accenture Philippines. If youre interested, try to leave your email then i'll sent you a mail where you can attach your resume. Thank you for reading!

zechita said...

Hello recruiter, my email address is chuykuykyut@yahoo.com.

Thanks a lot. :)

Anonymous said...

@recruiter,

I am a bus. ad grad. I want to pursue a career in SAP, but most of the companies here in the Philippines are looking for experienced SAP professionals. I am planning to take the training but the cost are too high. Is SAP B1 a good option? Is Accenture Philippines accepting people with zero knowledge in SAP. thanks!
my email is elmarka@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Hi recruiter,

I'm also a business admin grad of DLSU. I'm interested to pursue a career in SAP. I've inquired with one IT school who offers the SAP Business One course however it would cost me a lot to enroll for the program. Accenture is a really good company and I'm hoping that Accenture Philippines would accept professionals with zero knowledge in SAP yet very much interested to learn and to be trained. I hope to hear from you soon. Please email me at miluji_te_fall@yahoo.com
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I have done my Master of Business IT from Melbourne and am contemplating doing SAP Business One certification from India before I leave back for Australia. Could you guide me regarding the benefits I'll get by doing this certification in Aus.
My email id is ajit.jayan@gmail.com
Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I'm a comp engr grad and I'm currently working as an antivirus engr. in an AV company here in Eastwood. However, I'm always looking for an opportunity to switch career in SAP. I have zero knowledge in SAP. My email is jasman_plm@yahoo.com. Many Thanks!

Unknown said...

Hi Recruiter,

I am interested to work in Accenture esp in SAP area. Im an ece graduate and currently working as sysad/dba, with backgroud in programming. Im looking for an entry level SAP position. I am willing to undergo training and work as a trainee. Thanks! You can email me at ime_miranda@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Hi recruiter, I'm an IT graduate. And I work as an MIS officer on my previous work. I handled managerial jobs and at the same time, I had hands on experience wtih SAP Business One. Is there A possibility of pursuing my career as a SAP proffesional in Accenture? ... Many thanks :)

Anonymous said...

Hello recruiter. I'm a cum laude IT graduate with 5 years overseas experience in IT. I am back in the Philippines and would like to shift my career to SAP, specifically in ABAP. I'm a fast learner and I'm willing to be taken in as a trainee. My email address is kristofer_jayson@yahoo.com. I look forward to your email.

love chaudhary said...

Hello Sir,
I am a B.Tech (Mechanical Engg.) & PGDBA (operations Management) & working in a manufacturing industry (Automobile) in a vendor development department. I am planning to pursue a SAP MM Module from SAP authorised partner Seimens Information Systems Limited (SISL, Delhi, India). I request you to suggest me the best module for my carrer to go for as I have some doubts regarding the placements & annual salary package even after getting the certification.
Hope you shall clear my doubts.
Thank you
Love Chaudhary

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm a graduate of BSBA marketing. I've been reading some articles about SAP. And I'm very willing to learn and be trained.
But I am currently working as a marketing assistant and planning to shift to SAP if there's a chance.
please email me at jhing04@gmail.com.

Thank you

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am a freelance SAP MM Consultant with more than 8 years of experience, and would like to work in project in Asia.
My email is brian_conforto@yahoo.com

regards
Brian

Anonymous said...

Hi Recruiter,

I'm decided to pursue a career as an SAP Consultant. I'm a BSCS Graduate. I took up SAP Business one training course. My e-mail address is greenerpasture10@gmail.com. Will wait for your response. Thanks! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Recruiter,

I am looking for a freelance job (not necessarily Accenture) as a SAP MM functional consultant. I am a certified solution consultant for that particular module. Would you know of any opportunity? You might have the contacts. Thanks.
My email is coldrockster@yahoo.com.

Unknown said...

Hello Sir,
I am doing BE comp now from INDIA and interested in SAP carrier .
but we don't have anything realated to SAP in whole BE syllabus and i also haven't shown any much intrested in theory subject so i hv got very less scores throughout BE.(agrr. 53%)
I have 2 queries realated to this

1.How can i start my SAP carrier at entry level in industry?? i mean which background / knowledge is needed eg:- C,C++,JAVA??

2.Does my BE score affect my SAP carrier or should i start from begining in SAP if yes how can i ?? where can i get information about SAP.
I know about SAP that it is an ERP software and have various modules and it's nothing but business Automation.

3.and what will be my position and paypocket after 10 yr's experience in SAP. and if after 10 - 15 years experience what are various apportinuties for me in SAP field if I wanna do managerial roles..
is it ok if i wish to do executive MBA while working in SAP.how can it helps me???

Thank You very much sir !!!
waiting for your reply

Anonymous said...

Hi!
I'm decided to pursee a career as a SAP Consultant. I am planning to take a SAP BUsiness One Training next year. But still if there's an opportunity wherein I can be trained, that's better. Here's my email address jengdiokno@yahoo.com. I will wait for your response. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hi.

Im a graduate of UP Manila. I'm working in a bpo - legal industry. I'm willing to work as a SAP Trainee given the opportunity. I'm also planning to take an IT crash course by next year to broaden my knowledge. Please email me @ wyt_laiz@yahoo.com.

Best regards,
Karla

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Unknown said...

Hi,
I have an experience of 3+ years in the software industy but due to certain reasons i had to take a break from software and now i unable to get a break in the software .I was thinking of pursuing a SAP course for which i did a bit of reseach and found SAP ABAP module and PLM(product Lifecycle Management) best suited for me.Could you suggest whether i should pursue SAP if at all and which module would be good in terms of software industry for me.Hi,
I have an experience of 3+ years in the software industy but due to certain reasons i had to take a break from software and now i unable to get a break in the software .I was thinking of pursuing a SAP course for which i did a bit of reseach and found SAP ABAP module and PLM(product Lifecycle Management) best suited for me.Could you suggest whether i should pursue SAP if at all and which module would be good in terms of software industry for me.Also plz suggest howz the job market in these SAP modules.
Thanks
Thanks