faster routing algorithms

I was reading few articles about faster algorithms and found out MPLS using layer3 for swithching. Does any algorithms do in layer2?. Which one is the faster algorithms nowdays.

With most platforms, it's not a question of "faster," but one of flexibility. MPLS and related technologies allow you to offer more services over the same media than is possible (and practical) with native IP circuits, and gives you a greater degree of control and flexibility with respect to traffic engineering.

Once an IP packet has been encapsulated with an MPLS label, the LSP is essentially a layer 2 PVC through the MPLS cloud to the packet's destination router, referred to in MPLS terminology as the penultimate router. The LSPs function like ATM PVCs, except that relavent extensions such as RSVP make MPLS more flexible.