Manpower management and planning is at the core of human resource management and deals with the organization and management of the human resources in an organization. It includes the process of selection of appropriate candidates as employees based on their skills, and making sure that they are smoothly fitted into their assigned roles and the overall system, thus ensuring a smooth functioning of the organization. Besides selecting suitable employees, manpower planning also deals with the process of upgrading the existing employees. Human resources are the most valuable asset of any organization as they contribute to the realization of its business objectives. It is the human resources who contribute their time and expertise to the welfare of their organization. Thus, the process of manpower planning and staffing is crucial to the business development of an organization. Personnel management is closely linked to manpower planning and management. Manpower Planning This is the first step towards manpower management. It refers to the process of using available assets for the implementation of business plans. It also involves the process of coordinating and controlling various activities in the organization. Effective manpower planning requires a careful assessment of the future needs of the organization. It involves development of strategies to match the requirement of employees and availability of positions at a regional as well as national level. Those in charge of manpower planning need to have foresight about the organization's business plans. They need to plan activities for achieving business growth. They are required to estimate business needs of the organization and plan for the resources needed to realize the business goals. We can refer to manpower planning as the process of reviewing current resources, predicting future requirements and ensuring that the demand and supply of people and skills is balanced. Manpower planning is useful for both the employees as well as the organization. Manpower Staffing The selection of suitable candidates on the basis of their skill-set and requirements of the job is known as manpower staffing. A manpower-staffing consultant plays the critical role of analyzing the skills required by a particular position and weighs them against the skills and abilities of the candidates. He/she needs to read people to assess their potential and wisely choose deserving candidates. Getting dedicated and sincere employees is a difficult task that involves a careful study of the personnel, their work preferences, and their fields of expertise. It is also necessary to check their educational and social background and assess their personalities in order to fill the positions with only the most deserving candidates. For determining the manpower needs, it is important to create work roles by grouping related work functions together. This helps the human resource managers in identifying the organizational subdivisions. Manpower planning and staffing involves the process of defining the position structures in the organization and preparing job profiles for the positions to be filled. Only then it is possible to begin the actual recruitment process and select appropriate candidates for vacant positions. Manpower Management Manpower management is a strategic approach to the management of people working for an organization. At its core lies the management of people, better known as employee management. Training and managing the recruited employees is an important part of manpower management. Motivating the workers, helping them update their work knowledge and maintaining the attrition rate to a minimum, are some of the other objectives of manpower management. Human resource managers need to cater to the safety of employees. Absence of workplace safety, lack of motivation, and an unhealthy work environment are some of the main factors that lead to dissatisfied employees. Satisfaction breeds productivity and this makes it necessary for the human resource managers to take all the required measures to ensure a positive environment at work. Manpower planning and staffing are critical to the welfare of an organization. Manpower management is a niche area today and considering the increasing importance of valuable human resources in business, the field shall continue to grow.