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India’s banks show how AI is impacting jobs. Govt must focus on skilling

At HDFC Bank, the number of non-supervisory staff has declined by close to 5 per cent at the end of March 2026. But the strength of supervisory staff has increased by 11 per cent.

The most troubling aspect of how technology and artificial intelligence (AI) will affect jobs in the organised sector in India is not to be seen in the headline number of overall staff strength. It is the uneven impact of technology and AI on different segments of employees that can be more problematic. India’s banking sector appears to be already going through the early stages of such disruption in its manpower planning.

At around 1.8 million employees, scheduled commercial banks account for one of the largest shares of jobs in India’s organised sector, and some of them are reporting stagnation or even a decline in their total employment numbers. A recent report in Business Standard points out that the country’s largest private-sector bank, HDFC Bank, reported a decline in the number of employees for the first time in nine years. At the end of March 2026, HDFC Bank’s total headcount was reported to be 211,000, lower by 1.6 per cent over the previous year. The reason for this decline appears to be the bank’s increased use of technology and AI.

However, a substantially different picture emerges if you break down the staff strength of HDFC Bank under supervisory and non-supervisory categories. The number of non-supervisory staff has declined by close to 5 per cent at the end of March 2026. But the strength of supervisory staff has increased by 11 per cent. Clearly, the impact of technology and AI is seen more among non-supervisory staff, where the actual decline in the headcount for HDFC Bank has been over 8,000 employees in one........

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