In today’s economy, not many companies are worried about a talent shortage. But some experts recommend they start thinking about it now.

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: a demand 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 use electronic records, and laid out 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 and green building projects.

The upshot: a lot of IT job openings appearing suddenly. Estimates for new health IT positions range from 41,000 to 200,000, 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.

Tags: IT, skills, staff, talent