Employment grew faster in Ireland in the 12 months to June than in any other EU state.

Eurostat figures show employment here grew by 3 per cent during the period, marginally ahead of the EU's next best performers, Spain at 2.9 per cent and Luxembourg at 2.5 per cent.

Across the EU as a whole, employment grew by 0.9 per cent.

Ireland’s economy is also forecast to be the fastest growing in the EU this year, with gross domestic product expected to expand by close to 6 per cent.

Overall, the employment situation in the EU is slowly improving but some countries, like Ireland, are performing much more strongly than others.

The latest figures show Ireland also exhibited strong jobs growth in the second quarter of this year, with employment growing by 0.9 per cent, placing it in the top four best performing states.