By David Milliken

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - The number of employees onBritish company payrolls in May surged by 197,000 from April asCOVID restrictions eased and pubs and restaurants resumed indoorservice, tax data showed on Tuesday.

The headline unemployment rate for the three months to Aprilfell to 4.7%, the Office for National Statistics said, in linewith economists' forecasts in a Reuters poll.

(Reporting by David Milliken, editing by Andy Bruce) ((david.milliken@reuters.com; +44 20 7542 5109; ReutersMessaging: david.milliken.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))