Manufacturers are creating new jobs at the fastest pace since May 2011 after figures today showed the sector maintained its improvement last month.
February's reading of 56.9 for the closely watched CIPS/Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) survey - where the 50 mark separates growth from contraction - was better than the 56.6 seen a month earlier.
Levels of production and new business rose at an above-trend rate, which filtered through to the labour market, with jobs creation at a 33-month record.
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