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:                                               14 July 2008

Number of ordinary shares purchased:            80,000    

Highest price paid per share:                            74.375p

Lowest price paid per share:                              71p

Volume weighted average price per share:      72.1939p

Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.

Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 87,367,390 of its ordinary shares in treasury and has 1,376,729,176 ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares).

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