This eighth special report of the National Commission for Manpower Policy sets forth a conceptual base and the major elements for constructing a national manpower policy framework. The content is presented in six sections. The first one is a brief introduction, while section 2 covers the rationale supporting the development of a national manpower policy framework. The third section describes many of the interrelationships and interdependencies that exist between manpower and other policies, and postulates some of the basic principles that should guide the formulation of a national manpower policy. Section 4 presents some of the possible manpower measures and the ways they can be utilized, including consideration of variations based on different economic circumstances. The fifth section identifies some of the key policy areas which should be addressed in developing a national manpower policy framework. The last section is a summary and conclusion. (EM)