Human Resource Planning (HRP) is a process of determining and ensuring the right number of people, in right place at right time, capable of executing the assigned task in effective and efficient manner in an organization. It deals with:

  1. Demand and supply of people
  2. Cost effectiveness
  3. Development and Training
  4. Setting Standards

In other words, HRP is the process of analyzing, anticipating the HR requirement and fulfilling them in accordance with business strategy.

According to Cash and Fischer, “HRP is a method for determining future staffing requirement and developing action plan for meeting them. HRP is a part of the company’s total resource planning. It influences and influenced by business plans, interacts with organizational plans and contributes to business decisions concerning, for example the development of new products, markets, facilities and production process as well as merger and acquisitions”.

Characteristics of Human Resource Planning

The characteristics of HRP are as follows:

1. Based on strategic planning:

HR planning is always formulated under the basis of corporate It has direct line with business strategy. E.g. when a company wants to expand the business, HRP helps by making available, the required number of concerned skilled manpower.

2. Estimate demand and supply of manpower:

HRP estimates the expected demand and supply of manpower required and available in and outside the organization respectively. By the help of Human Resources Information System (HRIS), HRP continuously monitor the changes in human dimension in and outside the

3. Focuses on ensuring availability of quality manpower:

Business organization cannot survive until and unless there is dedicated employees. Thus, HRP not only forecast the demand and supply of workers but also, ensures the availability of trained, skilled and qualified workforce for organizational

4. Mechanism for regular monitoring and evaluation:

HRP does not work until and unless there is a proper mechanism for monitoring and Thus, while formulating HRP an inbuilt mechanism with a number of indicators for monitoring and evaluation will be developed. This help to ensure that HRP is in right track.

5. Assisting in achieving cost effectiveness:

Business organization always tries to minimize the cost and maximize the profit. So, HRP focuses on utilizing the HR in most effective and efficient manner, which not only reduces the cost but also helps in increase and develop the skill and abilities of work force.

Objectives of Human Resource Planning

 The objective so HRP are as follows:

  1. To ensure optimum utilization of human resources currently in employment
  2. Assess or forecast future
  3. Cope up with the changing
  4. Keep constantly in touch with business land of the
  5. Anticipate
  6. Provides basis for human resources
  7. Assist in productivity

According to Bramham , objectives of HRP are as follows:

  1. To give an organization a broad-forward looking insight into not just the number of employees, but also the type skills and attribute of the people that will be needed in the
  2. To reveal what training and development activities need to be undertaken to ensure that existing employees and new recruit possess the required skill at the right
  3. To assist in cost reduction by aiming to work out in advance how organizational operation can be staffed more
  4. To anticipate future redundancies and therefore allows remedial action to be taken, such as recruitment freeze, retraining and early
  5. To facilitate collective bargaining process ( The information provided by the HR forecast enable calculation to be made concerning , how great an increase in pay or how great a reduction in hours might be conceded in exchange for more productive working methods and )
  6. To deal with the planning of accommodation, such as future need for office space, car parking, and other workplace