State Bank of India (SBI) is preparing to recruit approximately 3,500 new officers over the next five months to further strengthen its services and efficiency across the country. Deputy Managing Director (HR) and Chief Development Officer Kishore Kumar Poludasu said in an interview that 505 Probationary Officers (PO) have already been recruited in June, and the recruitment process for similar positions is ongoing. Applications have already been submitted for 541 new PO positions. Candidates will be selected through three stages – preliminary, main and psychometric test and interview.
Additionally, approximately 1,300 specialist officers have already been selected to handle information technology and cyber security responsibilities, Poludasu said. He further said, “Plans are also underway to recruit approximately 3,000 circle-based officers. This recruitment process is expected to be completed within the current financial year.”
SBI Chairman C S Shetty had earlier announced that a total of 18,000 new employees would be recruited to the bank. Of these, 13,500 will be recruited in clerical positions. The rest will receive appointment letters as PO and circle officers.
In the first quarter of the current financial year itself, SBI had announced the recruitment of 13,455 Junior Associates and 505 POs. This step is aimed at further improving the quality of customer service at the bank's branches.
Kishore Poludasu further informed that SBI has adopted a long-term strategy to increase the number of women employees. They aim to make at least 30 per cent of the organisation's total workforce women in the next five years. Currently, about 33 per cent of frontline staff are women, but overall, this rate is 27 per cent. According to Poludasu, “We want diversity to increase further, so increasing women employees' participation is now one of our priorities.”
SBI's workforce currently stands at more than 2.4 lakh. The bank has said its goal is to create a work environment where women get equal opportunities and dignity at all levels. For this, the bank has taken multiple women-centric initiatives. These include creche allowance for working mothers, family connect programs, and special training arrangements for women returning to work after maternity leave or illness.
Additionally, SBI has launched a flagship initiative called 'Empower Her', through which talented women employees are being identified for leadership, trained and made suitable for future leadership through mentorship. The goal of this plan is not just numerical growth, but also to create a strong stream of women leadership.
