This paper discusses the limitations of manpower planning activity as a source of policy criteria and suggests some directions for improving the state of the art. Sections I and II of the paper begin with a general discussion of the conceptual and institutional requisites of manpower planning in policy analysis and formulation. Section III extends the discussion by examining the current state of the art in estimating future manpower requirements and the effects of conceptual and institutional factors on knowledge generation and policy analysis. It also examines the effects of these constraints on estimations of future manpower supplies and the interaction of supply and requirements. Section IV suggests some possible means for enhancing the policy value of manpower planning. (Author/WL)