India’s biggest lender, State Bank of India intends to increase the staff recruitment in its branches throughout the country. The bank has hiked the target of recruiting 11,000 employees for its clerical post to 25,000 in order to deal with the retirements and the vacancies at its new branches.
Presently the recruitment process is on and the bank is waiting for approval to recruit 25,000 candidates in lieu of 11,000 in the present recruitment drive itself, said a top SBI official.
The official also said that with this move, the bank would save time as well as money as it need not undertake one more recruitment drive next year. The anticipated expense for the clerical recruitment in 2010 is expected to be about Rs. 50 crores.
Though the written test has already been held, which was attended by 27 lakh candidates, the interviews would be held in the next 2-3 months. The induction process is likely to get over by March 2011.
The bank has already recruited 33,000 employees as clerks since 2007. With another 25,000 employees the total intake would be higher than 50,000 by March 2011.
Another SBI official said, “Our assessment of manpower needs factors in the needs of banking entities within group. With consolidation underway, bank would group approach is becoming more relevant”.
SBI intends to increase its branch network to 50,000 from 17,075 by the close of this decade.