SBI to Hire Up to 12,000 Employees and Add 200–250 Branches in FY27

State Bank of India (SBI) plans to recruit around 11,000–12,000 employees and expand its branch network by 200–250 branches on a net basis during FY27, CS Setty, chairperson of the country’s biggest lender, said in an interview with PTI.

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This number may vary depending on retirements and emerging requirements, but I expect we should close the year with around 12,000 recruitments,” he added.

“Last year, we did fairly large recruitment because we took 1,500 specialist IT officers. This year, we do not need such a large number on the IT (information technology) side.” he further added.

The planned recruitment will cover both clerical and officer cadres.

Hiring to be Lower Than FY26

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The proposed hiring is significantly lower than SBI’s Recruitment in FY26. During 2025-26, the bank recruited 25,633 personnel, including 4,640 officers, 19,340 associates and 1,653 contractual employees.

The lower hiring target this year is partly linked to reduced requirements for specialist technology roles. SBI had recruited around 1,500 specialist IT officers in FY26, but the bank does not expect a similar level of IT recruitment in FY27.

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SBI had more than 2.45 lakh employees as of March 2026, making it one of India’s largest employers in the banking sector.

SBI Plans More Branches

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Along with recruitment, SBI plans to add around 200–250 branches on a net basis in FY27.

The expansion will include locations where the bank sees a need for greater customer access, including new residential areas and commercially active locations.

The bank is also reviewing its existing branch network, making the planned figure a net addition rather than a simple count of new branches opened.

The recruitment and branch expansion plans come as SBI continues to operate a large physical network while expanding its digital banking services.

The FY27 hiring programme is expected to have a greater focus on regular banking roles, with lower IT hiring compared with the previous year.