Alfie Lampe
If you’ve been following our recent SAP blogs - whether you’re curious about what’s next for SAP payroll, considering how to choose your SAP SuccessFactors career path, or exploring the path to SAP S/4HANA success through team building - you’ll already know how fast payroll and HR tech is changing.
The 2027 end date for on-premise SAP payroll support isn’t just a line in the sand - it’s a wake-up call for many businesses. Although there’s an optional extension to 2030, that comes with extra fees and, more importantly, leaves you stuck with outdated features and limited updates.
The days of payroll as a back-office function are over. The teams that succeed will be those that can adapt, collaborate, and see the big picture - shifting payroll from a cost centre into a genuine driver of business growth.
Why This Platform Shift Matters
Moving to ECP on S/4HANA isn’t just a technical upgrade - it’s a reset. Payroll, HR and business processes finally connect, automate and deliver more value. Cloud-native payroll, AI-driven automation and tight SAP integration are now the baseline. Treat this as a simple migration and you’ll be left behind.
SAP’s extension of on-premise payroll support to 2027 gives a little breathing room - but not much. The shift to ECP is inevitable and delaying your migration means higher costs, no new features or innovations, compliance headaches and a potential last-minute talent scramble. Companies acting now avoid the premium and panic others will face as the deadline nears.
But this isn’t about ticking a box. The organisations embracing AI, integration and data-driven HR now will pull ahead.
What This Means for Hiring Managers: Building Your Future-Ready Payroll Team
The talent market is tight.
Talented professionals within the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll space are in short supply. Wait to hire, and you’ll pay more - and potentially have to settle for less. The best teams are already locking in talent.
The challenge for hiring managers is clear: you need to build teams that can deliver on today’s payroll needs while preparing for tomorrow’s AI-powered, cloud-native future.
The most sought-after candidates are those who have already moved payroll to the cloud, contributed to S/4HANA projects, or delivered automation using AI. These candidates are in high demand and may be difficult to secure, but they’re not impossible to find - especially if you start early and move decisively.
Adaptability, communication and a track record of change matter just as much as technical skills - hold them in just as high regard!
Don’t forget your current team - encourage them to take advantage of SAP’s learning resources and community (see below). Retaining and developing your people is just as important as hiring new talent.
What This Means for Top Talent: Speed Up Your Career
If you work in SAP payroll, this is your moment.
ECP experience can open doors to the best projects and highest rates, as the market is looking for people who know how to deliver payroll specific cloud migrations, keep payroll compliant across borders despite country-specific laws and nuances, and use AI to solve business problems and workflows.
But it’s not just about your CV. Get involved in the SAP SuccessFactors Community. Attend webinars, ask questions, and share your experience with others. The more you learn, the more visible you become to hiring managers and recruiters. And don’t underestimate the power of in-person events (like SAP Sapphire) - one conversation there could change your career.
The future belongs to those who can harness AI and data analytics for smarter payroll, compliance, and workforce insights - now’s the time to build your technical literacy and data interpretation skills.
With so many new career paths opening up too with SAP’s AI-powered tools like the SuccessFactors Career and Talent Development solution, it’s easier than ever to map your skills to new roles and set your sights on the next big opportunity (and just the sort of thing our SAP team are equipped to help with!).
Where the Best Learn and Connect: Key Resources for Payroll Professionals
Whether you’re building a team or growing your own skills, the right resources make all the difference. SAP offers a range of resources to help you stay ahead, and my top picks are as follows:
- SAP Learning: Free and paid courses on SuccessFactors, S/4HANA and more
- SAP SuccessFactors Community: Join forums, ask questions, and connect with peers and experts
- SAP Webinars and Virtual Events: Regular sessions on payroll, HR and AI
- SAP YouTube: Product updates, walkthroughs, FAQs and event replays
- SAP Sapphire: The flagship event for learning, networking and staying close to the industry. The Empiric team attends every year
Small, regular investments in learning help you stay ahead of bigger shifts.
Skills in Demand and How to Stand Out
From all the projects we work on daily, patterns emerge. Hiring managers want to see:
- Cloud platform experience (SAP SuccessFactors ECP, S/4HANA payroll) including core features, configuration and customisation
- Ideally full lifecycle implementation experience, from planning and design to go-live and beyond
- Payroll compliance across borders
- Project management across HR and IT, with the ability to plan, organise and deliver on time and within budget
- Cross-module experience can also be desirable in SuccessFactors, including the likes of Compensation, Performance & Goals
Compliance knowledge, technical literacy and strategic input are now baseline. The best professionals interpret payroll data, manage change and deliver the human touch technology can’t replace.
Don’t just list certifications - show what you’ve delivered. Led a migration? Automated payroll with AI? Solved a global compliance issue? Hiring managers want proof. Storytelling is key - talk about the impact that you had and the tangible results that followed, not just the tasks that you completed. Highlight hands-on work with SAP SuccessFactors and ECP migrations. Show your curiosity about AI even if you’re still learning.
Build your network - attend events, join forums, and connect with recruiters who know your space.
Don’t wait for the deadline rush. The best roles are being filled now.
How Recruiters Can Help Win the Talent Race
At Empiric, we don’t just fill jobs - we live and breathe SAP Payroll. Our recruiters are embedded in the SAP ecosystem, giving us access to both active and passive talent. We understand ECP, S/4HANA and the AI-driven HR market and we’re committed to matching the right people with the right opportunities - fast.
For hiring managers, that means consultative support, rapid talent mobilisation and deep market insight. For candidates, it means guidance, upskilling resources and access to exclusive roles. Check out our SAP job board for the latest. If you want to talk about your next move, we’re here.
The 2027 deadline isn’t the story here. The story is the race for talent, the leap to cloud and AI, and the chance to shape payroll and HR for the decade ahead. Move early and win big.
Whether you’re building an SAP Payroll team or planning your next career move, now is the time to act - visit our capabilities page and connect with me on LinkedIn to learn how Empiric can help you stay ahead of the curve.
