Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
18 August 2005

                                    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 August 2005


Number of ordinary shares purchased:          2,300,000


Highest price paid per share:                 132.5p


Lowest price paid per share:                  130.75p


Volume weighted average price per share:      131.859p


Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.


Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 128,949,888 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,606,941,234 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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