Steps in Work Force Forecasting

1. Determine what your department is expected to produce within a specified time period.

2. Calculate the total worker hours for the work schedule.

3. Convert total hours to worker days by dividing the number of hours in the standard workday. Next, divide the total by the number of working days during the period to find the number of employees needed.

4. Determine the number of indirect employees (for example maintenance) and add the number of direct employees needed to get the total needed.

5. Allow for absences, training, and leaves.

6. Search for other ways to meet your schedule (such as overtime, transfers or borrowed employees, and temporary employees).