India’s largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), is preparing for a major expansion drive. Chairman C.S. Setty revealed that the bank will recruit nearly 16,000 employees this financial year and expects to maintain the same hiring pace in the coming years to support its growing operations and customer service needs.
Alongside the hiring spree, SBI is also set to open 200–300 new branches in FY26. This move is part of its broader strategy to scale its business from ₹100 lakh crore in Q2 FY26 to ₹200 lakh crore within the next 6–7 years.
Filling “White Spaces” Across India
According to Setty, SBI continues to identify underserved locations—referred to as “white spaces”—where new branches are needed despite its already extensive network.
He highlighted that new residential colonies and developing townships often lack adequate banking infrastructure. To bridge these gaps, the bank will continue expanding both branches and ATMs based on footfall analysis and micro-market data.
Hiring Momentum Continues
Setty confirmed that SBI’s recruitment drive for this fiscal year is nearing completion, with around 16,000 fresh hires joining shortly. This hiring trend is expected to continue annually as part of the bank’s growth plans.
As of March 2025, SBI employed 2.36 lakh people, with women making up 28% of the workforce. Employee costs rose 11% year-on-year to ₹36,837 crore in the first half of FY26.
Boosting Operations Through SBOSS
SBI is also expanding the role of its wholly owned subsidiary, State Bank Operations Support Services (SBOSS), especially in rural and semi-urban regions. SBOSS supports the bank by helping beneficiaries of government schemes, sourcing applications for agriculture and small businesses, and monitoring over 60,000 ATMs.
SBI has named ATM-monitoring staff under SBOSS as “ATM Mitras”—local residents responsible for ensuring the machines’ availability, cleanliness, and maintenance. With the Reserve Bank of India allowing more than 20 activities to be outsourced, SBI plans to deploy 6,000 SBOSS workers across branches for on-ground coordination.
