Description:
One of the biggest challenges
organisations face in workforce planning is to match the supply of staff
to the need for them. The task is made more complex by labour market
factors, changing supply and demand trends, workplace diversity issues,
complexity of specific industries and skill requirements. Some of the
challenges identified by Watson Wyatt, a global HR consulting firm,
include;
• Attracting critical”skill and top”performing employees
• Scarcity of critical talent as a leading cause
• Retaining skilled and older workers
• Mismatch between organisations’ measurement tools with their priorities
• Resource constraints
In
this essay, you will be required to research the workforce planning
concepts within the Australian public or private sectors and build a
comprehensive argument around key challenges faced by organisations. You
may narrow your focus to a specific industry or service sector (e.g.
Not”for”Profit, Public Services etc.) to develop the required context
and build an emphasis around issues relevant to the industry or the
sector. The essay must have a central argument and contain your point of
view on the issues, supported by a range of academic evidences
(sources).
The essay must be written in your
own words and appropriate referencing and citation must be used in all
external references (preferred: Harvard referencing system: Your
trainer/assessor will provide you with referencing guidelines). There is
no specific structure of essay but it will be expected that you will
present your essay with at least three identifiable sections;
Introduction, body (main headings) and conclusion.
The
essay must contain sources/references from a wide range of publications
including books, magazines, journals and online resources. Only online
references will not be accepted. In an event where a book or a
publication is accessed online or an electronic format, it should be
appropriate referenced using the referencing guide. The essay must
contain your own views on the topic and not just the review of the
literature. The contents must be coherent and presented in a logical
sequence (not just copy and paste from various sources) leading to a
conclusion.
You essay should cover, among other issues;
• Issues around labour demand and supply relevant to the specific industry/sector (e.g. Labour supply trends in past few years)
• Techniques used by organisations in forecasting supply and demand
• Economic or other external environmental factors that influence workforce planning
• Issues related to workforce diversity
• Issues related to employee satisfaction and organisational change
Essay
should be built around the main topic and present your point of view in
a logical flow supported by evidences/arguments/discussion from
academic sources. Your trainer would guide you in planning and writing
an effective essay. A well written essay would reflect new knowledge and
a range of skills in in the subject area.