Having already discussed the UK Oracle market with Paul St Ledger, I have now taken the time to sit down with the Lead of the UK Contract Accounts Team, Adam Edgell, who works on sourcing candidates for new requirements coming in for our existing clients across many sectors. The ‘UK Contract Accounts Team’ works with a variety of large consultancies and end-users across the UK, within all areas of SAP and IT technologies. During my final interview of this blog series, Adam shared with me his experience of the current UK Contract market and what SAP & IT skills he has found to be most in demand from our current clients.

Here is what Adam had to say:

What parts of the UK have been the busiest for SAP/IT recruitment at present in the UK Contract Accounts Team?

So far this year we have had roles from all over the UK, from as far up as Scotland, and as low down as the South West counties. However, I would say that the Midlands are producing a large amount of roles at present. This is because a lot of our clients have main offices there, or at least have their projects taking place there.

What SAP/IT areas have you found to be most in demand recently?

I have not experienced any particular role to outweigh other roles in terms of their demand right now. We have had a very wide variety of positions from our client’s which have included anything from SAP FI/CO Consultants to SQL Developers to Business Analysts.

Within the UK Contract Accounts team, what have you experienced rates to be like in the UK SAP/IT market and what areas are paying more?

The rates at the moment entirely depend on the client’s given budget and what area they are looking for. SAP roles generally pay more within the market, but a lot of our clients look at niche areas and will always pay a premium for this.

An area of this is at the moment will be for security cleared roles. There is not an overall abundance of security cleared candidates within the market, and when one of our many clients’ look for someone with active clearance they will normally have to pay a higher rate than someone without, due to the low supply of certain levels of clearance.

Are there any specific training programs or certification I should get to improve my employability?

I feel our clients will always look for experience over certification within the SAP/IT market, and it is always good to try and get project experience where possible.

If you are new to the UK Contract market and are trying to get into the SAP/IT arena, it is always good to try and get in with a company who will be happy to train you, and even put you through any qualifications they feel necessary.

What is your take on the UK SAP/IT market at present?

I can imagine everyone will have a different opinion on where the market is at right now, but from my perspective the market is extremely strong. We have been very busy so far this year in the UK Contract Accounts team, with a lot of our clients starting off with new projects, and with new clients being brought in all the time. This is evident when browsing our figures as we can proudly boast our most successful January and February to date. In addition, March already looks like it will continue this trend.

This concludes my blog series of current market conditions. You can view the other 4 entries here. I hope you have found Adam’s insight useful. If so, please take a few seconds to share it. If you have any further questions that you would like to be addressed, please leave a comment and I will get them answered for you. Next week I want to address the role of the recruitment consultant and state 10 actions that a good recruiter should take in order to maximize their value to candidates in the recruitment process.

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If you need a little something to make you smile, make sure you check out our version of the Harlem Shake which was filmed in aid of Red Nose Day.