Top 10 states that are winning the war for talent

America is facing an unprecedented jobs crisis that is also different from anything government record keepers have seen before. This time it is not the jobs that are in short supply; it is the workers. Employers posted a record 6.7 million job openings as of the end of April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the same agency says only about 6.1 million people are unemployed, meaning that for the first time since the government began compiling data on job openings in 2000, there are more openings than there are people to fill them.

But some states are managing to bridge this so-called skills gap, offering plenty to smart employees ready and willing to work. Workforce is the most important category in CNBC’s exclusive America’s Top States for Business study, worth 425 out of 2,500 points. We put each state’s workforce through its paces based on the data. We look at the number of available workers and which states are doing the best to attract them. We look at how educated they are. We examine which states have a Right to Work law, which affirms the right of every American to work for a living without being compelled to belong to a union and pay dues. To find states with the nation's top talent we measure in-demand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, state worker-development programs, union membership and more.

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