With the recent slowdown in the US, how is Canada holding up? Especially the IT Consulting field? Is there still demand for SAP consultants? Are the starting salaries for SAP certified consultants still in the range of 50,000 per year? What is the outlook specifically for SAP consultants -- demand and salary range expected in the next 9-12 months.

For a person with a US MBA (Finance) and 6 years of entrepreneurial experience, is it better to learn ERP packages like SAP, JD Edwards etc. or is the outlook and future brighter in the CRM arena? In short, what is the best way to add an IT slant to an existing background in business, given the current slowdown?

Thanks for all your help

V

Honestly, both ERP and CRM have taken a hit in the last couple of months. Where we have seen a dry pool of SAP candidates in the past, we now see more on the market. Contractors are even willing to take permanent jobs because the market is so weak. We don't forecast this to last much longer. Things should pick up 4th Quarter of this year and early next year. Our strength depends on the U.S's ability to shake off this uncertainty.

Harry