State Bank of India is gearing up for one of its largest hiring waves in recent years, with plans to add nearly 16,000 employees annually as part of a long-term expansion blueprint. Chairman C. S. Setty said the recruitment drive is intended to boost service quality, expand operational capacity and support branch growth across the country.
According to local reports, Setty noted that SBI expects to sustain this scale of hiring for several years. The bank currently employs around 2.36 lakh people (as of March 2025), meaning the annual additions will significantly expand its workforce across officer, clerical and subordinate categories. Women currently make up around 28 per cent of its staff strength.
The hiring acceleration is aligned with SBI’s new branch strategy. The lender plans to roll out 200–300 new branches in FY26, prioritising underbanked regions, fast-growing residential belts and micro-markets identified through internal demand mapping. Executives said the expansion aims to bolster access in rural and semi-urban districts where financial services uptake remains high.
The buildup is already influencing the bank’s cost metrics. SBI’s employee-related expenses climbed 11 per cent to ₹36,837 crore in the first half of FY26, according to its filings. Analysts say the rising manpower costs reflect the bank’s need to fortify its physical network as competition for deposits, retail growth and digital adoption intensifies.
SBI is also strengthening its ATM ecosystem through its wholly owned arm, State Bank Operations Support Services. The subsidiary will deploy “ATM Mitras” responsible for machine uptime, hygiene and maintenance across more than 60,000 ATMs. It will additionally manage assistance for government schemes and support field operations for agriculture and MSME loan sourcing. Around 6,000 support personnel are expected to be positioned at branches to enhance last-mile coordination.
For aspirants, the recruitment plan points to a steady flow of openings — especially in probationary officer, clerical and specialist roles. The addition of up to 300 new branches next year is likely to further widen hiring requirements for customer-facing and operational positions.