No more long waits at SBI branches? India’s largest bank says it has a new 13,500-strong army to boost customer service

The State Bank of India (SBI) has hired 13,455 Junior Associates (Customer Support and Sales) to improve customer experience at its branches across the country. The hiring drive, covering 35 states and Union Territories, is part of a wider recruitment plan to bring in 18,000 new employees, including 3,000 officers. Speaking about the recruitment, Chairman C S Setty said, “The bank’s total recruitment across categories is about 18,000 people, out of which around 13,500 will be clerical recruitment, 3,000 will be probationary officers and local-based officers.”

Customer satisfaction scores in focus

The bank is using real-time tools to measure service quality. “We are sharpening our focus on customer experience and are using tools like customer satisfaction score (CSAT), net promoter score (NPS), and customer effort score (CES) to measure satisfaction across branches, business correspondents, and digital platforms in real time,” Setty said in a letter to shareholders.

Skill development and future readiness

SBI plans to equip new recruits with relevant skills. “As we onboard this new talent pool, we further aim to strengthen our human resource capabilities by implementing structured skill development programmes aligned with evolving functional and technological requirements,” Setty added.

Policy change on claim settlements

SBI has also increased the claim settlement limit for legal heirs of deceased depositors. “The bank has raised the limit for claim settlements by heirs of deceased depositors from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, including those supported by un-probated wills,” the letter stated.

Headcount to grow slightly despite scale of hiring

According to SBI, the selection process began with preliminary examinations held in February and March 2025. The mains exams followed in April 2025. “Following a rigorous and transparent evaluation, 13,455 candidates have been selected for appointment,” the bank said in an official statement.

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The bank expects a marginal rise in its overall staff strength from 2.32 lakh in March 2024 to around 2.36 lakh by March 2025. This is lower than the 2.44 lakh employees it had in March 2022. SBI cited the growing use of digital platforms for routine transactions as a key reason for the limited increase in headcount.

Details of mains examination

The clerk mains exam, held on April 10 and 12, 2025, tested candidates on General/Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. A total of 190 questions were asked for 200 marks. The exam followed a negative marking scheme, with one-fourth of the marks deducted for each wrong answer. Candidates are advised to visit the official website to download the result PDF and verify their status.

SBI’s commitment to employment generation

With over 2.36 lakh employees, SBI said it remains committed to providing meaningful employment opportunities and developing the next generation of banking professionals.