Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
14 January 2005


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:                                    14 January 2005

Number of ordinary shares purchased:                         700,000

Highest price paid per share:                                    122p

Lowest price paid per share:                                  121.75p

Volume weighted average price paid per share:               121.9286p

Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.

Following the purchases of these shares, Hays holds 32,665,271 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,703,225,851 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).



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