Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
23 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:                              23 August 2005


Number of ordinary shares purchased:           1,004,280


Highest price paid per share:                  133p


Lowest price paid per share:                   132p


Volume weighted average price per share:       132.6757p



Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.



Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 134,454,168 of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,601,436,954 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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