Mumbai, Maharashtra
There is major news for young aspirants preparing for jobs at the State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest bank. The bank is planning to hire around 11,000 to 12,000 employees during the current financial year. The recruitment will include positions at both the clerical and officer levels. Alongside this, SBI is preparing to expand its branch network across the country by opening 200 to 250 new branches.
SBI Chairman C.S. Setty shared details of the recruitment plan in an interaction with PTI-Bhasha. He said the bank could hire around 11,000 to 12,000 people during the current financial year. However, the final number could be slightly higher or lower depending on employee retirements and the bank’s changing requirements. The bank expects to complete the recruitment of around 12,000 employees by the end of the financial year.
Recruitment to Focus on Clerical and Officer-Level Positions
SBI’s new recruitment plan will primarily cover employees at the clerical and officer levels. The bank has said that retirements as well as business requirements will be taken into account while determining the number of employees to be recruited.
For candidates preparing for banking jobs, this could be an important opportunity, as SBI is one of India’s largest banking institutions and regularly conducts recruitment drives for various positions. However, the exact number of vacancies, eligibility criteria, examination schedule and application dates will become clear only after the bank releases its official recruitment notification.
More Than 25,000 Employees Recruited Last Year
SBI also carried out recruitment on a large scale during the previous financial year. According to the bank’s annual report, SBI recruited a total of 25,633 employees during FY 2025-26. These included employees for general banking positions as well as a significant number of specialist roles.
According to the SBI Chairman, the bank also recruited around 1,500 specialist IT officers last year. This year, the bank does not expect to require IT recruitment on the same large scale. Therefore, the focus of this year’s hiring is likely to remain more on the bank’s general operational requirements and staffing needs arising from the expansion of its branch network.
SBI Plans to Open 200 to 250 New Branches
Along with employee recruitment, SBI is also planning to expand its branch network. The bank could open around 200 to 250 new branches during the current financial year.
According to C.S. Setty, SBI already has a very large branch network, but there is still considerable scope for expansion in several parts of the country. The opening of new branches is expected to increase access to banking services while also creating employment opportunities at the local level.
More Than 2.45 Lakh Employees as of March 2026
As of March 2026, SBI had a total workforce of more than 2.45 lakh employees. Despite having such a large employee base, the bank continues to expand its services and branch network.
One of the major reasons behind the proposed recruitment is to fill vacancies arising from employee retirements. In addition, additional staff will be required to operate new branches and support the expansion of banking services.
Opportunity for Banking Job Aspirants
The proposed SBI recruitment could be a significant opportunity for candidates looking to build a career in the banking sector. However, candidates should not apply based solely on information circulating on social media or unofficial websites. Details such as the number of vacancies, educational qualifications, age limit, examination pattern and application procedure should be confirmed only after SBI releases its official recruitment notification.
Overall, SBI’s proposed recruitment of 11,000 to 12,000 employees and its plan to open 200 to 250 new branches represent a major expansion initiative by the bank. The move is expected to strengthen the bank’s services and network while creating a substantial number of employment opportunities in the banking sector.
