Politicians and special interest groups may debate the causes, but all should be pleased by April’s employment numbers.

Private-sector employers in Indiana added 15,400 jobs for the month, the fourth-highest increase since 1990. Moreover, unemployment dropped to 7.9 percent, below the national average of 8.1 percent and the first time since November 2008 it fell below 8 percent.

The most satisfying news: 1 in 8 new jobs created nationwide in April was in Indiana.

Some analysts say Indiana government’s strong fiscal health is a big reason so many new jobs are in the state, and that could well be a factor. States with shaky finances may face tax increases. States with stable finances have more stable tax rates.

While union opponents may seize upon the state’s new right-to-work law as a contributing factor, the law is simply too new to have been much of an influence.

Indiana’s nation-leading jobs-growth status could be the result of the economic cycle. Manufacturing states such as Indiana are generally the first to go into recession and the last to emerge. In March, Indiana added 6,200 manufacturing jobs, plus hours for existing factory workers grew. April’s numbers may be proof the state has finally surfaced from the last recession.

More good news: Additional jobs are on the way. Subaru recently announced plans to add 100 jobs at its Lafayette factory. Locally, auto parts supplier American Mitsuba announced a major expansion at its Monroeville plant with 25 new jobs.

And more jobs mean more income taxes and sales taxes going to state government. That’s certainly better news than Hoosiers received during the depths of the recession, when state revenues fell short of expectations, requiring major budget cuts.