Workforce planning usually refers to the process of organization where analysis of future

workforce requirement as well as current need is carried out with respect to the commitments,

objectives and plans. This includes the review and dissection of the type of workforce an

organization requires and a number of workforces to run the organizational operations. In order

to do so, both quality and quantity analysis is required of the employees need with respect to the

education, skills, knowledge and experience. Workforce planning helps to optimize the

organizational resources as well as reduces costs and maximizes the efficiencies.

Just like others, labor market is also volatile and is sensitive with respect to numerous factors

such as Socio-economic condition of a country, the political status and demography. With effect

of these factors, there are fluctuation on labor force. Sometimes, the labor market faces excessive

supply of workforce and sometimes, face the shortage.

An organization must always be aware about this situation and need play strategically for

survival in the competitive market. For example, in the different states of Australia, there is

different workforce dynamics of demand and supply. Data show that the food industry in the

Australia has both situation of high demand and high supply. In states like Sydney and

Melbourne, due to popular restaurant culture, the demand of good labor force is always there in

the food industry. However, in other cities, there are fewer restaurants and the workforce for

food industry is has high supply.

These dynamics keep changing. Hopefully in the future, the cities that have deficiency in the

workforce volume will get saturated. For such discrepancies, the organizations should be tactical.

Not only the organizations, the government too needs to prepare policy that creates osmosis

environment to balance the undulation of labor market.

For purpose of such planning and design of policy, workforce planning models are developed

which requires following steps to be carried on:

1. Supply Analysis

2. Demand Analysis

3. Gap Analysis

4. Solution Analysis

1. Supply Analysis: The supply analysis consist of analysis of workforce and trends along

with workload status, workforce demographics and so on. Government of Australia has

updated such data on their web portals with respect to all the industry including food

industry. Supply analysis further needs to answer the alignment of companys mission,

vision and objective with functional requirement as well as competencies of current

available human resources.

2. Demand Analysis: The demand analysis needs to answer dimensions of works such as

volume of work, duration required and place of work. In addition, the probability and

frequency of change in the companys way of business or change in strategy should be

answered so that the future competencies requirements are clear along with the size of the

workforce (Whether to add or subtract the work force)

3. GAP Analysis: The gap analysis is required to understand the void that comes from

comparison of existing workforce supply with future demand. Further, dynamics of

workforce in the future is to be understood and the areas where management actions are

required is to be determined to obtain the workforce objective

4. Solution: Finally, based on the gap, workforce transition should be planned. This includes

changes in HR policy, staffing patterns, and employee development.

Based on these, the strategies are build for the osmosis of human resource for the trough

and crest of the demand supply in the workforce of the industry.