FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

24 February 2023

Hays plc

Share Buyback Programme

On 20 June 2022, Hays plc (the "Company") announced that it had entered into a non-discretionary arrangement with Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies") in relation to the programme to repurchase the Company's ordinary 1 pence shares up to the value of c.£63million.

In the six months ending 31 December 2022, 50.2million shares were purchased and cancelled, at a cost of £57.6million. On 23 February 2023, the Company entered into a further agreement with Jefferies in relation to the purchase by Jefferies of ordinary shares up to the value of £18,200,000. The programme will be executed by Jefferies from the date of this announcement and will end no later than 30 June 2023.

As announced on 28 April 2022, the purpose of the programme is to reduce the total issued share capital of the Company. Jefferies will purchase the Company's ordinary shares as principal and sell them on to the Company in accordance with the terms of their engagement. The Company intends to cancel the shares it purchases through the programme.

Any share purchases will be made in accordance with certain pre-set parameters set out in the terms of Jefferies engagement, the general authority of the Company to repurchase shares granted by shareholders at the Company's annual general meeting held on 9 November 2022 (which permits the Company to purchase no more than 162,523,118 of the Company's ordinary shares, taking into account the amount of shares already repurchased using this authority under the buyback programmes announced on 23 September 2020, 29 November 2021 and 28 April 2022), the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014) as it applies in the UK, the Commission Delegated Regulation (2016/1052) as it applies in the UK and Chapter 12 of the Financial Conduct Authority's Listing Rules.

For further information please contact:

David Phillips, Head of Investor Relations and ESG on +44 (0) 333 010 7122, or ir@hays.com

LEI code: 213800QC8AWD4BO8TH08