3 ways HRMS can automate workforce planning

Workforce planning (when supported by the right workforce planning software) aligns your people with your business strategy, ensuring you have the right talent at the right time. An HRMS, acting as a workforce planning system, delivers insights through workforce planning and analytics, automating manual tasks so you can focus on strategic decisions.

Here are some examples of where your HRMS can automate workforce planning.

1. Use of big data to enable predictive analytics

In the past, teams depended on basic HRMS reports and spreadsheets for forecasting. Today, workforce planning tools leverage big data and AI workforce management to enable predictive analytics within your HRMS. By incorporating external labor market trends, skills data, and historical performance, the system performs real-time forecasts and provides ready-to-use reports. This automated method reduces manual effort, maintains consistency, and facilitates dynamic workforce planning.

Recommended reading: HRMS Software Guide - Discover the best solutions for automating workforce planning

2. Automate matching and gap identification

Today's strategic workforce planning tools map competencies and roles against future needs automatically.

Instead of manual assessments, your HRMS can be configured to flag skill gaps in real time and send alerts to managers and HR business partners.

It also recommends learning paths or internal mobility opportunities, helping employees upskill before gaps emerge. These proactive notifications support workforce planning best practices by closing skills gaps early and maintaining business continuity.

3. Plan for future talent in a cost-effective manner

Traditional planning required manual market research and lengthy cost analyses. An HRMS acting as a workforce planning solution combines salary benchmarks, hiring expenses, training fees, and internal mobility costs to model multiple scenarios at the click of a button.

This strategic workforce planning capability enables you to compare external hiring with upskilling internal talent, identify the most cost-effective option, and share visualizations with stakeholders. 

Summary of key benefits:

• Strategic workforce management: Drive alignment between talent and business goals with a unified workforce planning system.
• Workforce planning technology: AI‑driven analytics and scenario modeling help organizations stay ahead of change.
• Scalable best practices: Automate gap analysis, predictive forecasting, and cost modeling to support growth.

These HRMS automations (when set up correctly) unlock an adaptive workforce planning framework that scales as your organization evolves, meaning you always have the right people, with the right skills, at the right cost.