Businesses across the eurozone are hiring workers at a rate not seen since before the financial crisis as the burgeoning economic recovery takes hold.

France and Germany - the biggest economies in the currency area - are both growing at the fastest pace in six years, with much of the rest of the area following suit.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a private sector survey from IHS Markit, stood at 56.8 last month, staying at its highest level since 2011.

Germany’s index rose to 57.3 and France’s to 57.6.