The UK public sector is spending close to half its technology budget just keeping legacy systems running. That is not sustainable, and the pressure to modernise is building. What makes this moment different is AI. Governments want to deploy machine learning and automation, but you cannot layer sophisticated AI onto fragmented ERP estates that were designed in a different era. The foundation has to change first.
We have seen this pattern before in our SAP practice. When a large public sector modernisation programme launches, it creates a ripple effect across the talent market. Programme directors, solution architects, integration specialists, and change management leads all become scarce at once. The candidates who have delivered these transformations before become extremely valuable, and they know it.
What interests us about the UK situation is the explicit link being drawn between ERP modernisation and AI readiness. That framing will spread. German federal and state governments face similar legacy burdens, and the same logic applies. If you want to use AI to improve public services, you need clean data, interoperable systems, and modern platforms. That means SAP S/4HANA migrations, cloud adoption, and a lot of integration work.
For senior SAP professionals in the DACH region, this is worth watching. Public sector transformation programmes tend to run for years and offer stability that private sector projects sometimes lack. They also demand a particular skill set: the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, manage long procurement cycles, and deliver within strict governance frameworks. Candidates with that background are already being approached more frequently.
We expect the next wave of public sector ERP mandates to hit German-speaking markets within the next 18 months. The hiring will be competitive, and the candidates who can demonstrate both technical depth and public sector delivery experience will be in the strongest position.
Prompted by reporting from ERP Today.