HR best supports the decision to hire additional staff by performing a skill gap assessment, as it directly evaluates whether existing workforce capabilities align with current and future organizational needs. At the SPHR level, staffing decisions must be data-driven, strategic, and aligned with business demand, rather than based on assumptions or isolated metrics.
A skill gap assessment systematically identifies discrepancies between the skills required to achieve organizational objectives and the skills currently available within the workforce. This analysis allows HR to determine whether performance gaps can be addressed through training, reskilling, redeployment, or process redesign—or whether additional headcount is genuinely required. As such, it supports sound workforce planning and cost control.
Analyzing attrition rates (A) provides useful historical insight but does not, on its own, justify hiring additional staff. High attrition may reflect engagement, leadership, or compensation issues rather than true workforce demand. Creating new competency profiles (B) supports role clarity and development but does not assess current capacity or workload sufficiency.
SPHR exam content emphasizes that effective talent planning requires diagnostic analysis, not reactive hiring. Skill gap assessments connect staffing decisions to strategy, productivity, and future readiness—making them the strongest tool for supporting headcount expansion decisions.
References :
HRCI SPHR Exam Content Outline — Functional Area: Talent Planning and Acquisition (workforce planning; gap analysis; strategic staffing).
HRCI SPHR Study Guide — Use of skill gap analysis in headcount and capability planning.
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