SAP is adding AI features to its S/4HANA system, which can automate tasks like incident management and financial processes. By early 2025, SAP plans to enable automated ERP migration, and by mid-2025, customers could create custom AI agents to handle specific tasks.

A Focus on Skills

This shift will create demand for professionals with SAP and AI skills who can implement, manage, and optimize AI-driven ERP systems. Roles may focus more on strategic oversight rather than manual processes, creating new opportunities in consulting and tech support for SAP clients.

Skilled experts remain essential to ensure these complex transitions run smoothly. ERP migrations involve unique organizational needs, legacy systems, and data management challenges that AI cannot fully handle alone. Human expertise is vital for customizing solutions, troubleshooting unexpected issues, and optimizing AI tools for specific tasks.

Expertise Will Still Be Needed

This need for skilled ERP experts means hiring will focus on those with in-depth SAP knowledge and experience in guiding complex migrations, even as automation increases efficiency.

SAP’s integration of AI into S/4HANA adds urgency to the search for skilled ERP professionals. However, hiring these specialists remains challenging due to the unique blend of skills required, a limited number of qualified professionals, and few specialists looking for new opportunities.

Demand for these professionals often exceeds supply, especially as more companies adopt AI-driven ERP systems. Recruiters face a competitive market, and companies may need to offer compelling packages, ongoing training, and flexible work arrangements to attract and retain top talent. With 2027 looming for when SAP will stop providing support to legacy systems, the talent issue only intensifies, with businesses competing heavily to meet this deadline.

In the near future, we can expect ERP professionals to become strategic partners in leveraging AI to unlock new business capabilities. SAP’s investment in these technologies reflects a future where ERP systems are smarter, faster, and more integral to business transformation than ever before, yet ongoing talent challenges will stay.