Attention! SBI will hire around 3,500 officers by March 2026
What's the story
India's largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI), is planning to hire some 3,500 officers in the next five months. The move is part of a larger effort to strengthen its operations and improve service delivery across the country. SBI Deputy Managing Director (HR) & Chief Development Officer (CDO) Kishore Kumar Poludasu confirmed this in an interview with PTI.
Recruitment details
Recruitment process for POs
Poludasu said that SBI had hired 505 Probationary Officers (POs) in June and is in the process of hiring an equal number. The bank has also advertised for 541 PO vacancies, with applications already pouring in. The recruitment for these positions is done through a three-stage process: preliminaries, mains, and psychometric test and interviews.
Specialist recruitment
Focus on specialist officers
Along with the PO recruitment, SBI is also focusing on hiring specialist officers. Poludasu said that some 1,300 officers have already been selected for roles in IT and cybersecurity. He also revealed that "around 3,000 circle-based officers are now being considered" and this process should be completed by the end of the current fiscal year.
Annual target
Total recruitment to be around 18,000
Earlier this year, SBI Chairman C S Setty had announced that the bank's total recruitment across categories would be around 18,000. Out of these, some 13,500 will be clerical positions while the rest will be for POs and locally-based officers. This aggressive hiring plan is in line with SBI's strategy to boost its workforce and improve service delivery.
Diversity initiative
Plan to improve gender diversity
Poludasu revealed that SBI has a plan in place to improve gender diversity in its workforce. The bank aims to increase the percentage of women employees to 30% in five years. He said, "If we talk about frontline staff, women are almost 33%, but as a total, if you see, they account for 27% of the total workforce."
Employee support
Initiatives to support women in the workforce
SBI has a workforce of over 2.4 lakh employees, one of the largest in any organization in India. Poludasu said the bank is working toward creating an inclusive environment where women can thrive at all levels. He highlighted some initiatives such as creche allowance for working mothers, family connect program, and training programs for women returning from maternity leave or extended sick leave.