Final answer:
The HR resource function for predicting future employee needs is workforce planning, which includes assessing current and future workforce requirements and executing strategies to meet an organization's goals and missions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The human resources (HR) function that helps an organization understand the number and type of employees it will need in the future is known as workforce planning. Workforce planning involves analyzing current workforce competencies, identifying future workforce needs, determining gaps between the present and future, and implementing solutions so that an organization can accomplish its mission, goals, and strategic plan.
To ensure the right people are in place, HR specialists use various tools and data, including the organization's strategic plan, demographic analyses, and labor market information. This planning is vital to help the organization discover employee roles and how they fit into the overall structure, as well as to professionalize HR functions and reduce bias in the hiring process. Ultimately, workforce planning aims to specialize and focus on the retention of employees and efficient hiring practices.
Understanding the contributions of each role and how it fits into the organization not only helps with workforce planning but also enhances collaboration and allows employees to learn about other types of work, which is key for organizational growth and employee satisfaction. This HR function is closely tied with the development of human capital, which emphasizes the importance of investing in employees through training and development.