Selecting competent, high-performing employees capable of sustaining their performance over the long run is a competitive advantage. The selection process consists of forecasting employment needs, recruiting candidates, interviewing applicants, and hiring employees. External environmental forces affect the selection process. These external forces include labor unions, governmental laws.
Labor unions represent workers and seek to protect members' interests through collective bargaining.
Good labor-management relations is an important ingredient in contract negotiations. The government influences numerous decisions regarding hiring. Employers must ensure that equal opportunity exists for all job applicants and current employees. Many organizations have affirmative action programs to ensure upgrading and retention of protected groups such as women, minorities, and people with disabilities. Forecasting Employment Needs Planning assists in implementing strategy by translating the organization's goals into the workers needed to achieve them.