France and Germany are leading a eurozone renaissance as the economy grows at its fastest pace in six years.

Hiring is surging across the services and manufacturing sectors as companies take on more staff to keep up with growing demand, according to IHS Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) surveys.

Employment is growing at a near-record level in Germany, the surveys showed, while French services companies in particular sought to take on new workers.

The eurozone’s PMI rose to 56.7, its highest level since 2011. Any score of above 50 indicates growth, and three months of strong numbers indicate the economy is likely to have grown by around 0.6pc in the first quarter of the year.