The rate at which jobs are being created in European manufacturing businesses grew rapidly during April 2011, new figures show.

According to the latest purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the eurozone published by Markit, the month saw employment rise close to a ten-and-a-half year high achieved in February this year.

The report stated businesses in the field are attempting to handle rising orders and backlogs of work, with Germany leading manufacturing jobs growth over the month.

Other countries that saw the number of roles in the industry climb in April were the Netherlands, Austria, France and Ireland.

The PMI for the eurozone revealed Germany's manufacturing sector witnessed its best start to the year since 2000, pushing up the overall measure last month to 58 points, up from 57.5 in March.

"Eurozone manufacturers reported that the growth surge continued into April, meaning 2011 has so far seen the best start to a year since the dot-com boom of 2000," Markit chief economist Chris Williamson said.

The recent JPMorgan global manufacturing PMI revealed job creation continued in April 2011 for the 17th month in a row, with the pace of recruitment remaining high and the sharpest rises in Germany, the Czech Republic and the US.

Posted by Alex Donnell