HUDDERSFIELD bosses could face fierce competition for workers over the next few years.
Some 1,400 jobs are set to be created by a string of new business developments along Leeds Road.
Existing employers in the town are being warned they will have to compete to keep skilled staff who may be attracted by the new opportunities.
Now, employers have been invited to a briefing on the possible impact of the jobs bonanza.
The event - staged by Kirklees Council-backed jobs creation agency Workforce Now - takes place next Tuesday at the McAlpine Stadium.
David Powers, of Workforce Now, said it was thought the new developments would create jobs at all levels.
He added that as a direct result there could be a knock-on effect for all existing companies in the Leeds Road area and beyond.
Major schemes include ones to redevelop the former Holliday Dyes and Chemicals site at Deighton and create a business park at Bradley.
Mr Powers said demand for workers from incoming firms could lead to problems for existing employers.
Problems would include skills shortages, pressure to raise wages, increased turnover of staff and loss of productivity.
The briefing is being backed by organisations including Kirklees Council's Economic Development Services, Calderdale and Kirklees Careers, Huddersfield Jobcentre Plus, the town's university and technical college and the Aspley-based Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.
A spokesman for Kirklees EDS said: "The event will be aimed at human resource managers. All companies with more than 25 employees in the Kirklees area will be invited."
He said the event would tell firms about the developments taking place, alert them to the implications and highlight support for training and recruitment.
The spokesman said follow-up seminars would be held as the developments took shape.
These would cover matters such as diversity in the workplace, working practices, training and recruitment.
Mr Powers said: "Regeneration in Huddersfield is creating tremendous opportunities for businesses to develop.
"The next few years will see changes that will effect the Huddersfield business landscape for decades - with far-reaching implications for Huddersfield and its workforce in general."
WHERE THE JOBS WILL COME FROM
150 JOBS - A £24m expansion plan by nursery products firm Mamas and Papas to create about 150 jobs at Colnebridge
150 JOBS - A £5m project to turn part of Leeds Road playing fields into Fieldhouse Park, offering 14 business units to create more than 150 jobs
600 JOBS - A £2.5m development, Bradley Business Park, at Bradley Road, to attract high-technology companies and bring up to 600 jobs.
500 JOBS - A £20m scheme to turn the former Holliday Chemicals site at Deighton into Trident Business Park, creating more than 500 jobs.
