Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
22 November 2004

                                    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 UBS Investment Bank.

Ordinary shares:

Date of purchase:                               22 November 2004

Number of ordinary shares purchased:            972,795

Highest price paid per share:                   122p

Lowest price paid per share:                    122p

Volume weighted average price per share:        122p


Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.


Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 4,667,656 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,731,223,466 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange