Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
18 May 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:                                       18 May 2007



Number of ordinary shares purchased:                    448,019




Highest price paid per share:                           169.875p



Lowest price paid per share:                            168.75p



Volume weighted average price per share:                169.4215p



Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.



Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 109,915,440 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,454,181,126 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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