No one without a crystal ball can predict the future with 100-percent accuracy. But employers these days are a little nervous, and with good reason. Staffing shortages are affecting industries like health care and technology, and new employees with the right skills can be hard to find. Forecasting future hiring needs is important, because planning is the best way to avoid future staffing pitfalls.
To keep business running as usual (or as close to usual as possible), many Human Resources departments are undertaking planning in the form of forecasting hiring needs for 2022. This can be accomplished with the following key techniques:
- Categorize job roles. When reviewing the roles within the company, it can help the forecasting process to group them into categories based on how critical they are to the company’s performance. Examples of groups could be: strategic, core and non-core. This way, HR will have an idea of where to focus its energy initially during the forecasting process.
- Focus on the right metrics. Though it can help to utilize specialized software, it’s important to review key metrics to forecast future hiring needs. Metrics to review could include head count, turnover rates, and retirement eligibility of current workers.
- Look for trends, not hard numbers. Once the data is compiled on key metrics, it can be difficult or even impossible to determine actual numbers. However, by looking for trends in the data, HR can predict what the staffing needs of the company could be in the future and where additional hiring would help.
- Meet with leaders. Department leaders are the people who will be directly impacted by the quantity and quality of staff in the company. When determining hiring needs for 2022, check with department leaders to get their impressions of future needs based on current performance, upcoming projects, and expected growth.
Need guidance?
When attempting to determine staffing needs, it can help to work with a staffing agency. Your recruiter will work with you to understand your current and future needs, and devise a strategic staffing mix that can help. And if you’re in search of a staffing partner in the Atlanta metropolitan area, check out Snelling Georgia Group. To learn more, contact us today!
