Step 2. Analyse the workforce
In Step 2 you will analyse the current workforce design and profile and the likely and desirable future workforce according to various scenarios. This will highlight the gaps to achieving the workforce that the organisation needs, in order to deliver on its strategic and service priorities.
This step involves taking a close look at all the characteristics of your current workforce. You will develop a current and future workforce profile that considers elements such as workforce capacity and capability, composition and design, sustainability, diversity, culture, wellbeing and performance. The workforce characteristics that you examine, and the analysis that you undertake, should be targeted and relevant – linking back to the strategic priorities of the organisation.
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After completing this step, you will have:
- a profile of the current workforce, including relevant workforce metrics, supply and demand analyses, workforce design and role analyses and culture and performance analyses
- a profile of the required future workforce state, with consideration to possible scenarios highlighted during the environmental scanning activity
- a workforce gap analysis.
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Activities that you should consider during this step:
- Use available data to develop a useful profile of the current workforce including its trajectory based on current trends and existing programs. Consider workforce capacity, capability, sustainability and diversity, design, culture, wellbeing and performance.
- Analyse the workforce profile in the context of the strategic priorities. Use scenario planning to consider how the organisation would respond to potential future situations identified in the environmental scan report and workforce projections.
- Build a profile of the desired future workforce by exploring different pathways and options for how the workforce could best respond in various scenarios.
- Assess and define the gap between the current workforce profile and the projected workforce to meet the organisation’s needs over a 5-10 year period.
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The following information sources may be helpful in completing this step:
- workforce profile data and HR program data of your health service organisation
- health sector workforce and labour market reports and workforce supply data such as from education providers
- interviews with local clinical leads and middle and operational level managers regarding workforce models, roles, changes, impacts, challenges and successes
- organisation and health system workforce strategies and frameworks
- environmental scan report from step 1
- benchmarking data.
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The following resources from the framework toolkit are designed to assist you with step 2:
- Step 2-A: Question guide for step 2 – analyse the workforce (PDF 125 kB)
- Step 2-B: Current workforce assessment (DOC 72 kB)
- Step 2-C: Role segmenting tool (DOC 76 kB)
- Step 2-D: Risk matrix (PDF 51 kB)
- Step 2-E: Supply and demand assessment (PDF 135 kB)
- Step 2-F: External labour market analysis (PDF 53 kB)
- Step 2-G: Benchmarking tool (DOC 72 kB)
- Step 2-H: Scenario planning tool (PDF 77 kB)
- Step 2-I: Gap analysis (DOC 72 kB)