Manpower

Manpower (Economics) Definition

1.General: Total supply of personnel available or engaged for a specific job or task.

2.Economics: Total labor force of a nation, including both men and women. If there are more people than available jobs, it is called manpower surplus; if available people are fewer than jobs, it is called manpower deficit.

A survey of récent writings on the factors bearing on économie development, the reports of the Economie Council of Canada included, would reveal that more emphasis is being placed on the significance of éducation, training and the quality of manpower generally, than on savings, investment in capital goods, trade balances, taxation, the distribution of national income, and other traditional économie factors. Only a few years ago, plans for économie development contained very little on the way of an analysis of manpower problems. It was taken for granted that given adéquate quantities of the other scarce factors required, and ensuring the pursuance of correct monetary, fiscal, trade, wage and price policies, the necessary manpower would be forthcoming. The apparent shift of emphasis in favour of labour should be viewed as a natural conséquence of changes in the degrree of scarcity in the relevant factor of production; as long as capital was generally... read more>

Useful links
Corporate Manpower Planning
Problem in Manpower Planning
Manpower Shortage and Ways to Manage
More references

Manpower Planning (Obstacles)

Following are the main obstacles that organizations face in the process of manpower planning:

Under Utilization of Manpower: The biggest obstacle in case of manpower planning is the fact that the industries in general are not making optimum use of their manpower and once manpower planning begins, it encounters heavy odds in stepping up the utilization.

Degree of Absenteeism: Absenteeism is quite high and has been increasing since last few years.

Lack of Education and Skilled Labour: The extent of illetracy and the slow pace of development of the skilled categories account for low productivity in employees. Low productivity has implications for manpower planning.

Manpower Control and Review: (a) Any increase in manpower is considered at the top level of management (b) On the basis of manpower plans, personnel budgets are prepared. These act as control mechanisms to keep the manpower under certain broadly defined limits. And (c) The productivity of any organization is usually calculated using the formula:

Productivity = Output / Input

But a rough index of employee productivity is calculated as follows:

Employee Productivity = Total Production / Total no. of employees

Exit Interviews, the rate of turnover and rate of absenteesim are source of vital information on the satisfaction level of manpower. For conservation of Human Resources and better utilization of men studying these condition, manpower control would have to take into account the data to make meaningful analysis.

Extent of Overtime: The amount of overtime paid may be due to real shortage of men, ineffective management or improper utilization of manpower. Manpower control would require a careful study of overtime statistics.

Few Organizations do not have sufficient records and information on manpower. Several of those who have them do not have a proper retrieval system. There are complications in resolving the issues in design, definition and creation of computerized personnel information system for effective manpower planning and utilization. Even the existing technologies in this respect is not optimally used. This is a strategic disadvantage.

Manpower Planning

Manpower Planning which is also called as Human Resource Planning consists of putting right number of people, right kind of people at the right place, right time, doing the right things for which they are suited for the achievement of goals of the organization. Human Resource Planning has got an important place in the arena of industrialization. Human Resource Planning has to be a systems approach and is carried out in a set procedure. The procedure is as follows:

-Analysing the current manpower inventory

-Making future manpower forecasts

-Developing employment programmes

-Design training programmes

Steps in Manpower Planning Analysing the current manpower inventory- Before a manager makes forecast of future manpower, the current manpower status has to be analysed. For this the following things have to be noted: -Type of organization -Number of departments -Number and quantity of such departments -Employees in these work units -Once these factors are registered by a manager, he goes for the future forecasting.

Making future manpower forecasts- Once the factors affecting the future manpower forecasts are known, planning can be done for the future manpower requirements in several work units.

The Manpower forecasting techniques commonly employed by the organizations are as follows:

(a) Expert Forecasts: This includes informal decisions, formal expert surveys and Delphi technique.

(b)Trend Analysis: Manpower needs can be projected through extrapolation (projecting past trends), indexation (using base year as basis), and statistical analysis (central tendency measure).

(c)Work Load Analysis: It is dependent upon the nature of work load in a department, in a branch or in a division.

(d)Work Force Analysis: Whenever production and time period has to be analysed, due allowances have to be made for getting net manpower requirements.

(e) Other methods: Several Mathematical models, with the aid of computers are used to forecast manpower needs, like budget and planning analysis, regression, new venture analysis.

Developing employment programmes- Once the current inventory is compared with future forecasts, the employment programmes can be framed and developed accordingly, which will include recruitment, selection procedures and placement plans.

Design training programmes- These will be based upon extent of diversification, expansion plans, development programmes,etc. Training programmes depend upon the extent of improvement in technology and advancement to take place. It is also done to improve upon the skills, capabilities, knowledge of the workers.

Importance of Manpower Planning

Key to managerial functions- The four managerial functions, i.e., planning, organizing, directing and controlling are based upon the manpower. Human resources help in the implementation of all these managerial activities. Therefore, staffing becomes a key to all managerial functions.

Efficient utilization- Efficient management of personnels becomes an important function in the industrialization world of today. Seting of large scale enterprises require management of large scale manpower. It can be effectively done through staffing function.

Motivation- Staffing function not only includes putting right men on right job, but it also comprises of motivational programmes, i.e., incentive plans to be framed for further participation and employment of employees in a concern. Therefore, all types of incentive plans becomes an integral part of staffing function.

Better human relations- A concern can stabilize itself if human relations develop and are strong. Human relations become strong trough effective control, clear communication, effective supervision and leadership in a concern. Staffing function also looks after training and development of the work force which leads to co-operation and better human relations.

Higher productivity- Productivity level increases when resources are utilized in best possible manner. Higher productivity is a result of minimum wastage of time, money, efforts and energies. This is possible through the staffing and it's related activities (Performance appraisal, training and development, remuneration)

Need of Manpower Planning

Manpower Planning is a two-phased process because manpower planning not only analyses the current human resources but also makes manpower forecasts and thereby draw employment programmes. Manpower Planning is advantageous to firm in following manner:

-Shortages and surpluses can be identified so that quick action can be taken wherever required.

-All the recruitment and selection programmes are based on manpower planning.

-It also helps to reduce the labour cost as excess staff can be identified and thereby overstaffing can be avoided.

-It also helps to identify the available talents in a concern and accordingly training programmes can be chalked out to develop those talents.

-It helps in growth and diversification of business. Through manpower planning, human resources can be readily available and they can be utilized in best manner.

-It helps the organization to realize the importance of manpower management which ultimately helps in the stability of a concern.