Workforce Planning

Workforce planning is the process of analysing the current workforce, forecasting future workforce requirements, and developing strategies to bridge any gaps. It is a core HR activity that ensures a business has the right number of people, with the right skills, in the right locations, at the right time.

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The Workforce Planning Process

Effective workforce planning follows a structured approach:

Stage	Activity	Key Questions
1. Analyse current workforce	Audit existing skills, roles, demographics	What skills do we have? Where are the gaps?
2. Forecast future needs	Predict staffing requirements based on corporate objectives	How many people will we need? What skills? Where?
3. Identify gaps	Compare current provision with future needs	Do we have surplus or deficit? In which areas?
4. Develop strategies	Plan recruitment, training, redeployment or redundancy	How do we close the gaps?
5. Monitor and review	Track progress and adjust plans	Are we on track? What has changed?

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Components of Workforce Planning

Number of Employees