Hiring too many people pushes labor costs up, while short staffing leaves gaps that hurt team performance. Businesses need balance, and that’s where workforce planning software helps.

With strategic workforce planning, you can link headcount decisions to bigger business goals. These even run skill gap analysis to show where training or new hires are needed.

Managers get support with workload management, while a connected payroll platform keeps spending visible.

In this article, you’ll see how workforce planning software prevents costly overstaffing and which platforms deserve attention.

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What Is Workforce Planning Software?

Workforce planning software connects staffing decisions with long-term business goals. It brings key stakeholders like HR and finance together in a single place. The goal is simple: plan with data instead of reacting when issues appear.

A standout feature is scenario planning. With it, you can:

• Review the current workforce and see how it measures against future needs.
• Test different actions like hiring, reskilling, or moving people between teams.
• Check how each decision affects costs and budgets.

That level of insight supports strategic headcount planning. You can spot where teams are oversized or stretched thin and fix resource allocation before it reduces results.

Besides that, workforce planning software further anticipates future workforce needs. It shows the available talent supply, points out skills that are missing, and supports decisions to train current employees or bring in new hires.

Workforce Planning Starts With Recruitment

Even the best workforce planning software depends on having the right people in place. Recruiting weak candidates creates talent gaps that no forecasting software will ever fix.

StaffedUp was built by restaurant owners who know how stressful hiring can be. Long nights, last-minute call-offs, and stacks of paper applications leave you drained.

Sound familiar? The platform was designed to cut through the mess and make hiring fast and organized.

Your job posts go live across top boards with one click. Applicants can scan a QR code and apply on the spot.

Every application, message, and interview sits in one easy-to-read dashboard. You no longer waste hours bouncing between emails, texts, and sticky notes to keep track of people.

Businesses using StaffedUp receive 8x more applicants, decrease their turnover by 45%, and experience a 77% shorter time to hire. That means fewer empty shifts, more reliable staff, and less stress on managers.

Other than that, it lines up with bigger strategic goals like lowering labor costs, boosting employee development, and meeting ongoing workforce requirements. By replacing messy manual processes, the platform keeps you in control and helps you hire with confidence.

Key Features

StaffedUp keeps hiring simple with these features:

• Automated job posting – Push openings to 200+ job boards in minutes.
• Custom hiring pages – Show your brand and attract better-fit candidates.
• Scan-to-apply QR codes – Let candidates apply instantly from flyers or signs.
• Candidate screening – Use filters and pre-set questions to weed out poor fits.
• Bulk interview invites – Fill schedules quickly and let candidates pick times.
• Automated texts and reminders – Keep applicants engaged without extra effort.
• Team ratings and group messaging – Help managers compare and decide faster.
• Digital onboarding – Send paperwork online so hires are ready on day one.
• Optional WOTC screening – Capture tax credits while filling roles.

Pricing

The Starter plan begins at $1 for the first week and $20 per month after. It covers one job post with unlimited applications and hires.

Meanwhile, the Smarter plan costs $49 per month and adds unlimited job posts, hiring automation, branded QR codes, and full analytics.

The Pro plan is $99 per month and includes everything in Smarter plus digital onboarding, document storage, multi-user access, and manager controls.

You can save 20% if you opt for annual billing.

Invest just $1 and watch how quickly better candidates come through!

6 Best Workforce Planning Software Tools to Predict Future Staffing Needs

The right workforce planning software helps prepare for future staffing needs and keeps labor costs under control, such as:

1. ADP Workforce Now

Image Source: adp.com

ADP Workforce Now is a human capital management (HCM) platform that puts payroll, HR, and time tracking in one place. Many mid-sized companies struggle when these things sit in separate systems.

You might run payroll in one program, track hours in another, and keep employee files somewhere else. That leads to mistakes, double work, and wasted time. ADP Workforce Now fixes that problem by giving you one system for everything.

The platform helps you manage employee data without the stress of searching through files. It also stores past workforce data so you can look back at turnover, costs, or hours worked and plan ahead with confidence.

On the daily side, payroll runs smoother, tax updates happen automatically, and employees can handle simple tasks on their own. Managers even get dynamic org charts to see how teams are set up, or collaboration tools to keep HR and finance working off the same numbers.

Key Features

• Payroll automation – Calculates pay, handles taxes, and sends direct deposits without manual work.
• Time and attendance – Tracks hours through apps, web logins, or time clocks.
• Talent management – Helps with hiring, onboarding, reviews, and employee development.
• Benefits administration – Lets employees log in to choose and update their benefits.
• Data analytics and reporting – Uses past workforce data to highlight costs, trends, and staffing needs.

Pros

• Employee self-service lets staff view pay stubs or request time off without calling HR.
• Reports and analytics help leaders plan with real numbers, not guesses.
• Integration options let you connect with other tools through the ADP Marketplace.

Cons

• Inconsistent customer support.
• The interface looks dated in some areas.
• The mobile app doesn’t match everything the desktop version can do.

2. ClearCompany

Image Source: clearcompany.com

ClearCompany is a talent management platform that helps companies hire, onboard, and keep employees engaged. It supports HR teams and business leaders by creating a single place to manage the entire employee journey.

From the moment a job is posted to the time an employee moves into leadership, the system keeps everything connected. Managers can analyze workforce data to see where talent is strong, where gaps exist, and how those patterns affect overall workforce dynamics.

Aside from that, it links your decisions back to business objectives. For instance, when you prefer to grow in a new market, you can tie recruiting, onboarding, and training directly to those targets.

That’s where it also supports strategic planning, which gives you a way to look at today’s staff and tomorrow’s needs at the same time.

Key Features

• Applicant tracking system (ATS) – Posts jobs, collects applications, and tracks candidates in one spot.
• AI sourcing tools – Find candidates from a large database and rank them for the best fit.
• Paperless onboarding – Sends new hires forms and tasks before day one.
• Performance reviews – Supports annual, quarterly, and project-based reviews.
• Employee surveys – Collects feedback to check morale and engagement.
• Goal alignment – Connects personal and team goals with company objectives.
• Compensation management – Helps plan pay, raises, and bonuses fairly.
• Learning tools – Provides training content and paths for growth.
• Analytics dashboards – Show live data to support better planning.

Pros

• ATS is simple and works well for recruiting.
• Onboarding is smooth, saving time on paperwork.
• Performance reviews and goal alignment improve employee development.

Cons

• High cost compared to smaller HR tools.
• Extra fees for some features.
• Not a full HRIS, so payroll and benefits need other systems.

3. Visier

Image Source: visier.com

Visier is a platform that focuses on data about people at work. It helps you make better decisions by pulling information from payroll, HR systems, and other tools into one place.

The platform specializes in HR analytics. That means it explains what the numbers mean and how they connect to bigger business objectives.

You can also use scenario modeling to test what-if questions, like what happens if hiring slows or if a new market opens. On top of that, the system includes predictive analytics to forecast workforce trends, so you know what happened in the past and what might happen next.

Key Features

• Unified data foundation – Brings payroll, HR, and recruiting data into one system.
• Pre-built metrics and dashboards – Saves time by giving ready-made reports and views.
• Benchmarking – Compares company data with industry averages.
• Real-time updates – Keeps numbers current across connected systems.
• Artificial intelligence assistant (Vee) – Answers workforce questions in plain language.
• Reporting capabilities – Provides dashboards and exports that explain numbers clearly.

Pros

• Workforce analytics show a full view of staff and costs.
• Security controls protect sensitive employee data.
• Benchmarking data gives outside context for decisions.

Cons

• Data quality depends on connected systems.
• Contracts often lock clients into long terms.
• Performance issues sometimes appear with very large datasets.

4. Planful

Image Source: planful.com

Planful allows HR and finance teams to work together on workforce allocation, so staffing choices line up with budgets and growth plans.

The system provides centralized data by pulling information from ERP, CRM, and HR tools into one source of truth. That means fewer mismatched numbers and more trust in reports.

You can also create budgets based on historical data. The platform goes further by including labor demand forecasting to help companies prepare for busy seasons and future hiring needs.

Rather than waiting for month-end reports, you see numbers as they change. That speed makes it easier to tie plans back to business objectives and shift direction when needed.

Key Features

• Driver-based planning – Links key business drivers to outcomes for accurate budgets.
• Scenario modeling – Tests what-if plans to see how changes affect finances.
• Rolling forecasts – Updates budgets throughout the year instead of relying on annual plans.
• Pre-built templates – Speed up planning for things like capital expenses or workforce planning.
• Automated consolidation – Pulls data from subsidiaries into one record.
• Audit trails – Tracks changes and supports compliance.
• Custom dashboards – Let leaders view KPIs in real time.
• Microsoft Office integration – Links live Planful data to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Pros

• Centralized data reduces errors from disconnected spreadsheets.
• Advanced planning tools like scenario modeling and rolling forecasts.
• Excel integration lets users work in a familiar format.

Cons

• Performance issues show up with very large datasets.
• Reporting customization is more limited compared to competitors.
• Interface feels dated to some users.

5. Lightcast

Image Source: lightcast.io

Lightcast uses a huge database of job postings, worker profiles, and government stats to show where talent is growing, what skills are in demand, and how businesses should prepare.

For a company trying to drive its talent acquisition strategies, this kind of insight makes a big difference.

Since Lightcast looks at the wider labor market, you can identify skill gaps inside your teams and compare them with what’s happening outside. By seeing how your entire workforce lines up with market trends, you make smarter decisions about hiring, training, and reskilling.

Besides that, it connects workforce data with strategic alignment. When business leaders want to expand into a new market or launch a new service, Lightcast shows if the local talent pool supports those plans.

On top of that, it can generate reports that HR teams and managers use to share findings and guide next steps.

Key Features

• Real-time job postings – Collects millions of postings to track what skills employers need.
• Professional profiles – Uses worker data to show career paths and qualifications.
• Government and education data – Adds context from official labor and education sources.
• Skills taxonomy – Categorizes over 33,000 skills to create a common language.
• Automated reporting – Builds quick summaries to track program or hiring results.
• Talent platform – Focuses on recruitment and workforce planning for companies.
• Analyst platform – Helps educators and regional groups see what skills are needed.
• API and data shares – Lets advanced users plug data into their own systems.

Pros

• Massive data coverage from job boards, profiles, and official sources.
• Real-time updates keep numbers fresh.
• Benchmarking against government data adds trust to the results.

Cons

• Global depth is weaker outside North America.
• Differences with government reports may confuse some users.
• Employer name standardization isn’t always perfect.

6. Workday Adaptive Planning

Image Source: workday.com

Workday Adaptive Planning replaces static budgets with living plans that update as conditions change. It simplifies complex workforce strategies by keeping financial and people data together in one view.

For HR teams, the platform helps identify talent gaps and plan ahead for promotions, training, or new roles. Finance managers can test what-if models, such as how adding new hires affects payroll or overtime costs.

It further supports employee scheduling by connecting headcount plans with actual work demands. And since it’s for HR professionals and finance leaders alike, both sides can work from the same numbers instead of debating whose spreadsheet is right.

Key Features

• Financial planning and analysis (FP&A) – Budgeting, forecasting, and modeling with more accuracy.
• Operational planning – Lets sales, marketing, and operations build plans tied to finance.
• Close and consolidation – Automates eliminations and currency conversions.
• Reporting and analytics – Provides dashboards, ad-hoc analysis, and custom reports.
• AI/ML tools – Surfaces trends and creates predictive forecasts.
• Data security – Strong role-based access, audit trails, and encryption.

Pros

• Flexible modeling supports detailed workforce and finance plans.
• Scenario modeling helps teams prepare for changes.
• Centralized data reduces silos between departments.

Cons

• Setup takes time and often needs consultants.
• Performance issues appear with very large models.
• Integration limits when connecting to non-Workday systems.

Crush Overstaffing Labor Costs Today With StaffedUp

Overstaffing cuts into profits, and weak hires push turnover higher. With StaffedUp, you attract more applicants, filter faster, and bring on people who truly fit your needs.

The result is you:

• Hire faster – Post jobs in one click and get up to 8x more applicants.
• Stay organized – Access applications, interviews, and messages in one dashboard.
• Screen smarter – Filter highlighted candidates who are ready to cover the shifts you need.
• Onboard cleanly – Finish digital paperwork before day one.
• Save money – Cut turnover by 45% and qualify for WOTC tax credits.

StaffedUp helps restaurants save money, build stronger teams, and spend less time chasing applicants.

Spend $1 now and see why restaurants cut time-to-hire by 77%!

FAQs About Workforce Planning Software

What is workforce planning software?

Workforce planning software is a digital solution that helps businesses make data-driven decisions about staffing by combining insights from ERP systems, HR software, and other time tracking tools.

It uses analytics for headcount forecasting, evaluates industry trends, considers external factors, and lets leaders track progress on staffing plans. With this, you can align labor with demand and improve team performance while keeping costs in check.

What is the best workforce management software?

The best workforce management software depends on company size and needs, but platforms like Workday, ADP, Visier, and StaffedUp are popular. Each offers different strengths, from forecasting and analytics to hiring and scheduling.

Does Workday have a workforce planning tool?

Yes, Workday includes a workforce planning tool inside its “Adaptive Planning” suite. It connects with financial data, supports headcount forecasting, and helps HR and finance leaders align staffing with budgets.

Does ADP have workforce planning?

ADP also supports workforce planning through its Workforce Now platform. It combines payroll, HR, and scheduling features to help companies analyze staffing and adjust plans as needs shift.

How does workforce planning software stop human resources from overstaffing?

Workforce planning software helps human resources stop overstaffing by matching labor with workforce requirements. It uses forecasting, scenario modeling, and real-time analytics to highlight when current staff can cover demand.

That avoids unnecessary hiring and keeps labor costs under control while maintaining the right balance for productivity.