Strategic Human Resources Management and Planning 43
When Santa Fe, New Mexico, looked for police offi cers to fi ll existing
vacancies, it advertised across the United States. The city embarked on
a nationwide advertising campaign and offered a ten thousand dollar
bonus to experienced offi cers who transferred to Santa Fe ’ s police force
(Auslander, 2007).
A surplus occurs when the projected supply is greater than forecast
demand. This indicates future excess in some categories of employees that
may also require taking action. The surplus data may represent occupa-
tions or skill sets that will not be needed in the future or at least not to the
same degree. Retraining, transfers, or separation incentives may need to
be implemented to address surplus situations.
If necessary skills do not exist in the workforce, employees need to be
trained in the new skills, or external recruitment must be used to bring those
skills to the organization. The employer must identify where employees with
those skills are likely to be found and develop recruitment strategies.
In the mid - 1990s, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania studied the
age patterns among its employees to see what skills the state would lose
over the next fi ve to ten years. It then began targeting recruitment toward
acquiring those skills. It conducted direct recruiting campaigns to hire
employees with accounting, budgeting, personnel administration, and
computer technology skills. Those candidates were placed in special state -
run classes designed to develop their expertise. Six percent of the state
workforce (six thousand people, actually 6,712) retired in 2007 — among
them, social workers, troopers, secretaries, liquor store clerks, park rang-
ers, correction offi cers, and attorneys. By 2012, another 41 percent of
salaried employees under the governor ’ s jurisdiction will be eligible to
retire as well. The plan was for vacancies caused by retirements to be
fi lled through promotions and lower - level vacancies to be fi lled mostly by
external applicants. There were opportunities for recent college graduates
and entry - level people interested in working for the state (Helton & Jackson,
2007; Mauriello, 2007).
Organizations facing a worker shortage may be able to postpone
the retirement of or recruit older workers. In an effort to retain the knowl-
edge base of an agency or to better serve its clients, some organizations
have developed creative ways to encourage retirement - eligible employees
to remain on the job. They have improved training opportunities and tech-
nology to impart different skills, divided full - time positions into part - time
work, and offered telecommuting as an option. Some organizations have
phased retirement plans that permit employees to reduce their hours or re-
sponsibilities in order to ease into retirement. This provides an opportunity