India’s largest public sector bank is preparing to continue its large-scale hiring strategy in FY27, with a stronger focus on specialised cyber security talent as digital banking and technology operations continue to expand.
State Bank of India Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty said the bank is expected to maintain an annual recruitment run rate of 5,000 to 6,000 employees during the current financial year. He also highlighted that SBI will selectively recruit professionals for specialised mid-level cyber security positions.
Speaking about the bank’s hiring plans, Setty said SBI had already carried out a major technology recruitment drive last year. “We did a large-scale recruitment in IT last year. If you remember, almost 1,500 people were recruited only for specialised positions in IT,” he said.
According to Setty, the recruitment covered critical technology areas such as artificial intelligence, data science, and cyber security management. He added that SBI may not conduct another large-scale IT hiring drive this year but will continue hiring selectively for specialised roles.
“So this year probably we may not go for the IT recruitment, but some of the specialised positions at a mid-level, we will be recruiting particularly on the cyber security,” he stated.
The SBI Chairman also said the bank’s manpower planning process is currently underway. “As far as routine and regular recruitment is concerned, we are in the process of finalising our manpower planning. I assume that we have a run rate of 5,000 to 6,000 every year,” Setty said.
The announcement follows SBI’s massive recruitment plan announced during FY26, which was described as the bank’s biggest hiring drive in nearly a decade. The bank had earlier revealed plans to recruit around 18,000 employees across various categories.
“Our total recruitment across categories is about 18,000 people, out of which around 13,500 to 14,000 will be clerical recruitment, 3,000 will be probationary officers and local-based officers,” Setty had said during the bank’s Q4 FY25 post-earnings interaction.
The continued hiring focus highlights the growing importance of technology and cyber security capabilities in India’s banking sector.
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