Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
19 May 2006


Hays plc

Purchase of own shares

Hays plc announces that it has purchased the following number of its ordinary
shares of £0.01 each on the London Stock Exchange via ABN AMRO Bank NV.

Ordinary shares:

Date of purchase:                               18 May 2006

Number of ordinary shares purchased:              1,000,000

Highest price paid per share:                          162p

Lowest price paid per share:                         159.5p

Volume weighted average price paid per share:       160.71p

Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.

Following the purchases of these shares, Hays holds 85,470,458 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,478,626,108 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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