Controlling electricity and water consumption SAP talent shortage is no longer a futuristic prediction; it's the reality that is holding back critical projects at U.S. companies. From SAP S/4HANA migrations to SuccessFactors implementations, hundreds of organizations are facing delays, cost overruns, and operational stagnation simply because cannot find trained SAP talent in time.
I see it every week: CIOs, CTOs and digital transformation leaders looking for consultants who no longer appear in the local market or whose cost exceeds the budget. The question is not whether the problem exists. The real question is: how to act fast to close the gap?
What is driving the SAP talent shortage?
SAP talent shortage is no accident. It has become one of the main operational risks for large corporations for these reasons:
- Accelerated growth in demand, driven by S/4HANA projects, AI applied to ERP, cloud migrations and advanced analytics.
- Slow and costly training, with long certification routes and limited availability of specialized instructors.
- Retirement or rotation of senior consultants, especially in financial and legacy modules.
- High U.S. wage costs., which make it difficult to scale teams with mid and senior profiles.
An alternative adopted by leading companies is the SAP Nearshore, The company's services are scalable, bilingual and cost-effective, allowing access to consultants from Latin America with scalable, bilingual teams:
https://zemsaniaglobalgroup.com/landing/talent-sap/
Which SAP roles are the most difficult to fill?
The shortage does not affect all modules equally. Today, the most demanded and scarce in the U.S. are:
| Area | Critical Roles | Most difficult level to achieve |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | SAP FICO, SAP FI-CA | Senior |
| Development | SAP ABAP, ABAP Cloud | Mid/Senior |
| Infrastructure | SAP BASIS, HANA Admin | Senior |
| Human Resources | SAP SuccessFactors | Mid/Senior |
| Logistics | SAP MM, WM, EWM | Senior |
Key trend for 2026: The shortage will be stronger in profiles with hybrid knowledge: SAP + AI + analytics + cloud.
Practical solution: real models for closing the SAP talent shortage
Smart Nearshore SAP
Specialized teams from Latin America with quality standards, corporate English and U.S.-aligned hours.
Main benefits:
- Costs up to 40% lower
- Immediate scalability
- Updated certifications
Consult the model from Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile:
2. Accelerated in-house training
Transforming technology teams into SAP consultants through corporate bootcamps, generating long-term savings and strategic retention.
Practical recommendation: create specific certified paths for critical modules (such as FICO, BASIS or SuccessFactors).
3. SAP + AI hybrid teams
Form multidisciplinary teams that combine:
- Functional consultants
- Cloud architects
- Data scientists
- ABAP developers with AI
This approach reduces migration times and improves data-driven decision making.
How does Zemsania help to close the SAP talent shortage?
From its model Digital Talent + SAP Nearshore, Zemsania accelerates critical projects through:
- Flexible on-demand SAP equipment
- Corporate academy and certification in key modules
- Agile integration with internal IT teams and global consulting firms
- Talent analytics to measure performance and training ROI
Conclusion: SAP talent shortage is both a risk and an opportunity
Shortages will not disappear immediately. However, companies that act now will be able to:
- Migrate faster
- Reducing local dependence
- Retain critical knowledge
- Optimize operating costs
Companies that procrastinate will pay more for less talent.