The number of staff at various Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in India has been steadily declining over the past three years, despite an increase of bank branches.
According to the report's comprehensive data, over the past three fiscal years, the number of employees at numerous significant public sector banks, including Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, and UCO Bank, has decreased.
Meanwhile, the number of employees at banks like Punjab National Bank (PNB) and State Bank of India (SBI) has either remained the same or marginally grown.
- Bank of India:
- FY23: 52,374 employees
- FY24: 50,944
- FY25: 50,564
- Canara Bank:
- FY23: 84,978
- FY24: 82,638
- FY25: 81,260
- Bank of Baroda:
- FY23: 76,513
- FY24: 74,227
- FY25: 73,742
- UCO Bank:
- FY23: 21,698
- FY24: 21,456
- FY25: 21,049
- SBI (India’s largest public sector bank):
- FY23: 235,858
- FY24: 232,596
- FY25: 236,226
- PNB:
- FY23: 102,319
- FY24: 102,349
- FY25: 102,316
Even though employee numbers have dropped or remained flat, the number of bank branches has continued to rise, especially in FY25.
Bank Unions Raise Concerns Over Staff Shortage
The declining number of employees in PSBs has prompted concerns from a number of bank employee unions. They have noted that in many branches, only two or three workers handle all of the work, which has an impact on customer service and puts additional strain on current employees. Bank workers protested for improved working conditions and staffing earlier this year in a number of towns.
Business Standard was informed by a top bank executive that "there are branches where only two people are working." In such severe situations, we discovered that only three workers were in charge of one or two branches. Urgent action is required in this case.
Government intervenes in response to growing risks to bank employees
According to reports, the Finance Ministry has also urged state and union territory officials to guarantee the safety of bank workers and the seamless operation of banking services. This action was taken in response to many reports of threats, physical attacks, and verbal abuse directed at bank employees at various locations. These reports were extensively disseminated on social media and news outlets.