Strategic workforce planning needed to overcome labour crunch: report

Being strategic in workplace planning is crucial to beat the ongoing labour crunch across the world, according to a Humanforce report.

Humanforce said a strategic approach to workforce planning is "not just about ensuring future business plans can be achieved."

"It will also incorporate more granular information about worker skills, capabilities, knowledge, and experienced to respond to those plans," the report reads.

A strategic workforce plan will help organisations plan for the right number and types of workers needed to hire projected business targets, as well as their assignments and the overall distribution of tasks to improve productivity.

It will also help organisations implementing major transformation, such as restructures and acquisitions, by helping to align resources to the new structure.

Applying a strategic workforce plan will also help employers determine the potential impact of automating tasks to various job roles, according to the report.

It added that strategic workforce planning will also help leaders:

• Identify workplace risks in the short, medium, and long term
• Fill out current and projected talent gaps
• Map out critical skills for current and future roles
• Prevent attrition by providing employees with learning and development opportunities and career pathways

Strategic workforce planning is just one of the five tips made by Humanforce to help employers beat the labour crunch.

"For employers of frontline or deskless workers, workforce planning is perhaps the most important element of human resources management," the report reads.

Find out more about Humanforce's other advice to employers in this report.