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:                                                  21 August 2008

Number of ordinary shares purchased:               39,284    

Highest price paid per share:                               89p

Lowest price paid per share:                                88p

Volume weighted average price per share:        88.7663p

Hays intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury.

Following the purchase of these shares, Hays holds 88,354,020 of its ordinary shares in treasury and has 1,375,742,546 ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares).

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