Transaction in Own Shares

Hays PLC
09 December 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:                                         09 December 2005



Number of ordinary shares purchased:                      726,170




Highest price paid per share:                             126p



Lowest price paid per share:                              124.5p



Volume weighted average price per share:                  125.4906p



Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.



Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 131,565,601of its ordinary
shares in treasury and has 1,517,530,965 ordinary shares in issue (excluding
treasury shares).




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