Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
17 August 2007

                                    Hays plc

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                             Purchase of own shares

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



Ordinary shares:

Date of purchase:                          17 August 2007

Number of ordinary shares purchased:       233,038

Highest price paid per share:              149p

Lowest price paid per share:               144.875p

Volume weighted average price per share:   148.2454p



Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.



Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 122,709,991 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,441,386,575 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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