Are You Managing Your Workforce Planning?

Unemployment notched down to 7.6% last month and the number of jobs added to the economy has averaged 169,000 over the past 12 months. If companies are creating jobs, is there more emphasis on managing their workforce and making sure new employees are placed where companies really need them? If companies are focusing more on WFP and WFM, should hiring demand for workforce management and workforce planning skill sets be increasing?

Over the past 90 days, more than 8,900 jobs for workforce planning skills were advertised online in the US. This is an 11.9% year-over-year increase from last year. In general, hiring has been healthy for this skill during the past couple of years. In October 2012, a new high in demand was reached. After a likely seasonal decline towards the end of last year, the number of online job ads has been growing again – a sign that workforce management and planning is still a priority for many companies in the US.

Hiring Demand for Workforce Planning Jobs – 4 Year Hiring Trend

The city with the most demand during the last 90 days was Washington, DC, growing 21% year-over-year. When WANTED Analytics last looked at workforce management jobs, the DC metro area was in the 4th spot and New York led the US in demand. New York City has since dropped to 2nd place with about 540 jobs. Of the 10 cities below with the most ads in the past 90 days, 8 had higher demand this year than last. Only Minneapolis and Atlanta declined.

Metro Areas with the Most Job Ads for Workforce Planning Professionals

10 Cities with the Most Demand for Workforce Planning Jobs

Below are the 10 job titles that most commonly require workforce planning skills. It's probably not surprising that HR job titles appear 9 times on this list. The only title that is not HR related is Store Manager. In retail settings, it's often up to a Store Manager to make sure all employees are scheduled appropriately to meet store hours and customer needs.