Team siliconindia

• SBI to recruit about 16,000 people every year
• Bank to open 200-300 new branches in FY26
• Hiring and expansion support plan to double business in 6-7 years

State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, plans to hire around 16,000 employees in the current financial year and aims to maintain the same pace of recruitment each year, Chairman C.S. Setty said in an interaction. The expansion aligns with SBI’s target of doubling its business size from Rs 100 lakh crore in Q2 FY26 to Rs 200 lakh crore over the next six to seven years.

Alongside hiring, the bank plans to strengthen its physical presence by opening 200-300 new branches in FY26. Setty said SBI continues to identify “white spaces”, growing areas where the bank currently has no presence, especially in new colonies and townships. The lender also uses data-driven tools to track footfall, helping decide where new ATMs are required.

Setty noted that SBI now has strong visibility into micro markets, enabling precise decisions on where to set up branches and ATMs. Recruitment for this fiscal is nearing completion, and the new hires will support customer service, operations, and the bank’s overall growth strategy. He added that this level of annual hiring has become standard for the bank.

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As of March 2025, SBI employed 2.36 lakh people across Officers, Associates, and Subordinate Staff roles. Women made up about 28% of the total workforce. SBI’s employee expenses rose 11% year-on-year to Rs 36,837 crore in the first half of FY26, reflecting the scale of its growing operations.

The bank also intends to leverage its wholly owned subsidiary, State Bank Operations Support Services (SBOSS), to strengthen services in rural and semi-urban markets.