The PeopleSoft Talent Crisis: Why It's Time for a New Support Strategy

You've seen the posts. They're everywhere on LinkedIn:

"Seeking PeopleSoft FSCM Technical Lead with 10+ years experience, deep knowledge of nVision, BI Publisher, Integration Broker, App Engine, and PeopleCode. Must have implemented at least 3 full lifecycle projects and be willing to relocate to Baltimore."

These increasingly desperate talent searches tell us something important about the state of PeopleSoft - and it's not what many organizations want to hear.

The uncomfortable truth about your PeopleSoft talent strategy

Let's be honest: the traditional model of staffing PeopleSoft support is breaking down. Here's what's actually happening in the market:

1. The experienced talent pool is shrinking rapidly. The professionals who built careers implementing PeopleSoft in the early 2000s are retiring or pivoting to cloud technologies.
2. New talent isn't entering the pipeline. Universities aren't producing PeopleSoft-skilled graduates, and early-career IT professionals are gravitating toward cloud-native platforms.
3. Your "irreplaceable" PeopleSoft expert is one resignation away from leaving you vulnerable. When they go (and eventually, they will), they take decades of institutional knowledge with them.
4. The talent that remains knows their value - and they're commanding premium salaries that many organizations, especially in higher education, healthcare, and public sector, struggle to match.

The days of building and maintaining a comprehensive in-house PeopleSoft team are over for most organizations. Yet many continue to post those same job listings, hoping for different results.

Why we're clinging to an outdated support model

Despite these realities, many organizations persist with a talent strategy that no longer works. Why?

For some, it's institutional inertia - "We've always hired for these roles." For others, it's fear of losing control or the mistaken belief that only full-time employees can truly understand their business needs.

The most pervasive issue, though, is failing to recognize that PeopleSoft support isn't binary - it's not "all in-house" or "completely outsourced." There's a middle path that actually works better.

Rethinking your PeopleSoft talent strategy

The most successful organizations I work with have adopted a hybrid approach that balances internal expertise with external support. Here's what this looks like in practice:

1. Identify what truly needs to stay in-house

Not every PeopleSoft role requires deep institutional knowledge. Functional leads who understand your business processes? Yes, keep those in-house. Database administrators who monitor performance and apply patches? That specialized expertise can often be more effectively sourced externally.

Ask yourself: "Which roles require deep understanding of our unique business processes?" Those are your core positions. Everything else can potentially be flexible.

2. Supplement with managed services where it makes sense

Modern managed services providers aren't just "outsourcing" - they're strategic partners who can:

• Provide access to a pool of specialized expertise when you need it
• Handle routine maintenance and monitoring 24/7
• Ensure security patches are applied promptly
• Scale support up or down based on your needs
• Document your environment systematically

The best part? Many organizations find they actually get better, more consistent support with this model than trying to hire and retain all the expertise they need.

3. Focus on knowledge continuity, not just staffing roles

The biggest risk in PeopleSoft environments isn't system instability - it's knowledge loss. When your senior administrator leaves with 15 years of undocumented customizations and configurations in their head, that's when you're truly vulnerable.

A structured knowledge management approach, often facilitated by managed services partners who document everything as standard practice, mitigates this risk significantly.

Case in point: What actually works

A major university I worked with struggled for months to replace their retiring PeopleSoft administrator. After three failed searches and growing system issues, they pivoted to a hybrid model:

• They kept their functional leads in-house to manage business process configuration
• They partnered with a managed services provider for technical administration, database management, and security
• They implemented structured knowledge transfer and documentation processes

The result? Better system stability, reduced risk, and significant cost savings compared to their previous all-in-house model.

The future of PeopleSoft support

As PeopleSoft continues to evolve with cloud hosting options and integration with modern tools, the talent needed to support it is changing too. The most successful organizations will:

• Build flexible, hybrid support models
• Leverage managed services for specialized technical expertise
• Focus on knowledge continuity and documentation
• Use automation to reduce manual administrative tasks
• Upskill internal teams to work in cloud and hybrid environments

The bottom line

PeopleSoft isn't going anywhere soon. Its deep functionality, flexibility, and proven reliability make it indispensable for many organizations. But the way we support it must evolve.

If you're still posting those same job listings and hoping for different results, it might be time to rethink your approach. The talent market is telling us something important - we just need to listen.

What's your experience with the changing PeopleSoft talent landscape? Have you found innovative ways to address these challenges? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.