Models and Modelling for Manpower Planning

Some parts of the long-range planning problem have been widely discussed. Other parts have received less attention. Of the relatively neglected areas, one of special importance is manpower planning. Manpower planning includes a specification of the kinds and numbers of men an organization will need to accomplish its profit, growth, or service objectives; a forecast from current personnel inventories of how well it is now set to meet the projected needs; and by a comparison of needs with forecasted supply, the formulation of plans for recruiting, assigning, and developing personnel. This paper explores some issues in manpower planning. We review some of the kinds of approaches that have been tried and look in some detail at two approaches which seem especially promising.