Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
09 November 2004

                                    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:                        09 November 2004

Number of ordinary shares purchased:     1,000,000

Highest price paid per share:            120p

Lowest price paid per share:             118.25p

Volume weighted average price per share: 119.4528p

Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.

Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 3,300,000 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,732,591,122 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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