SBI announced a yearly recruitment target of about 16,000 employees for FY26 during a briefing in India, where Chairman C. S. Setty detailed plans to expand the lender’s workforce and open 200–300 branches to meet rising service demand.
What changed in SBI’s hiring and expansion plan
SBI outlined a multi-year recruitment pace that will add new staff across officer, associate, and subordinate roles. The bank intends to maintain an annual intake of nearly 16,000 people as part of workforce growth efforts. Current employment stands at roughly 2.36 lakh staff.
The expansion includes 200–300 new branches in FY26. SBI identified micro-markets, upcoming residential zones, and underserved regions for rollout. It aims to reinforce coverage in semi-urban and rural locations where customer volumes continue to rise.
Impact on customers and workforce
The larger workforce will support branch operations and improve service delivery. Job seekers may see steady openings in clerical, probationary officer, and specialist positions. New branches will require additional frontline staff who can handle customer interactions and regional service requests.
Employee expenses increased 11% in the first half of FY26 to ₹36,837 crore. This reflects the cost impact of workforce expansion as competition for deposits and retail customers grows across the banking sector.
How the SBI support system works
SBI will also strengthen its ATM network through its subsidiary, State Bank Operations Support Services. The unit will deploy ATM Mitras to ensure machine uptime and maintenance across more than 60,000 ATMs. It will also handle field tasks for agriculture and small business applications. About 6,000 support staff will be placed in branches to manage coordination.
Executives said the branch and workforce expansion aligns with the bank’s strategy to improve accessibility. A local media briefing carried Setty’s comments to reporters. SBI expects its branch rollout and staffing plan to keep pace with loan demand and transaction growth in FY26. The bank plans to continue this approach over multiple years as part of its broader capacity-building framework.
