Widen PSU bank recruitment net, says RBI

Even as fresh recruitments in the public sector banks are likely to cross 400,000 in the next two years, the Reserve Bank of India feels that banks should not look at only campus recruitment to hire employees, but widen their net nationwide.

"Why should banks rush to recruit from campuses? None of us would get a job if recruitment was from the campus alone. Banks must give an opportunity to everybody. I am not sure how many from a campus background would have empathy for the poorest of the poor,'' RBI deputy governor, K C Chakrabarty said at a banking function in Mumbai on Tuesday.

He felt that banks should look at hiring across the country and be fair to those in the hinterland. This is necessary to fulfil the financial inclusion initiative taken by banks and RBI jointly to provide formal banking to all in rural India. Those hired from rural India would be close to ground realities compared to others, he felt.

Public sector banks will continue their big-time recruitment drive this financial year. They will be recruiting by the thousands.

Last year, the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) helped public sector banks fill 48,000 vacancies, and this year is going to be no different, the director of the institute, M Balachandran, told the gathering.

Given the huge demand for manpower expected over the next few years, the institute is planning to offer 'jobs-ready' candidates for the banking system. The Institute will take care of pre-placement training of the selected candidates on behalf of banks.