Adoption in Europe of workforce planning is on the rise and is leading to the HR function taking on a more strategic role, according to some promising research findings published by Infohrm – a provider of workforce planning, reporting and analysis systems.

Preliminary findings from the company’s 2009 Workforce Planning Survey show that, so far this year, 59% of respondents report they have a workforce planning process compared to 50% in 2008. And more than three-quarters (78%) view workforce planning as a valuable part of their operation, with close on one-third (62%) seeing the process as a source of competitive advantage.

The research covered 151 European organisations in the private and public sectors.

It also reveals that change in business strategy, shortage of critical skills, business growth, shortage of available talent and redeploying resources are the top five factors driving workforce planning. Around 50% of respondents reported that the global economic crisis has strongly influenced the need for workforce planning for internal mobility – such as filling positions internally with transfers and promotions – as well as talent management to help develop and retain high performers.

www.infohrm.com