Soon, they warn, there’s going to be an explosion in the number of IT-related jobs available, making it tough for companies to hire and keep employees with tech skills.

The reason: demands from the federal government for more computerization in the health industry. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earmarked $19 billion in incentives for hospitals and doctors’ offices to move to electronic records, with financial penalties for those that don’t make the switch by 2015.

The feds are also expected to increase spending in other IT areas, such as energy research and green building projects.

The upshot: A lot of IT jobs could suddenly become available. Experts estimate they’ll be anywhere from 41,000 to 200,000 new jobs, according to Dr. William Hersh of Oregon Health & Science University.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates demand for network systems and data communications analytics to go up 53% by 2016. Demand for other IT skills, such as database administration, will rise at least 20%, BLS says.

Budget restraints have already led to understaffed IT departments in most companies.

More than half (51%) of IT managers say a lack of talent has limited their organization’s productivity and efficiency, according to a recent survey by consulting firm Deloitte.

How can organizations attract top IT pros? Deloitte recommends low- or no-cost benefits like:

1. flexible scheduling
2. job rotation to help staff learn new skills
3. accelerated advancement opportunities, and
4. more careful onboarding to boost retention.