Which step in personnel planning is typically performed to ensure a pool of potential hires exists for anticipated vacancies?

Which step in personnel planning is typically performed to ensure a pool of potential hires exists for anticipated vacancies?

• A. Training employees
• B. Forecasting staffing needs and identifying candidate supply
• C. Administering payroll
• D. Conducting exit interviews

Answer: (B)

Forecasting staffing needs and identifying candidate supply is the step that ensures a pool of potential hires exists for anticipated vacancies. This involves estimating how many people with the needed skills will be required in the future and looking at where those people can come from, both from internal talent pools (promotions, transfers, development of current employees) and external sources (applicants, talent pipelines). By predicting demand and mapping it to available or attainable supply, the organization can plan recruitment, development, and succession activities so vacancies can be filled promptly when they occur. Training employees, payroll administration, and exit interviews serve other purposes—training builds internal capability, payroll handles compensation processes, and exit interviews provide insights into turnover—not specifically to create a ready pool of future candidates.

Forecasting staffing needs and identifying candidate supply is the step that ensures a pool of potential hires exists for anticipated vacancies. This involves estimating how many people with the needed skills will be required in the future and looking at where those people can come from, both from internal talent pools (promotions, transfers, development of current employees) and external sources (applicants, talent pipelines). By predicting demand and mapping it to available or attainable supply, the organization can plan recruitment, development, and succession activities so vacancies can be filled promptly when they occur. Training employees, payroll administration, and exit interviews serve other purposes—training builds internal capability, payroll handles compensation processes, and exit interviews provide insights into turnover—not specifically to create a ready pool of future candidates.