Govt banks step up efforts to bridge linguistic chasm with customers

State-owned banks are prioritizing local language skills in their hiring to improve customer service and reduce language barriers, with Bank of Baroda and SBI leading the way

State-owned banks are increasingly looking to hire officers proficient in the local language of a particular state, and train existing employees in local languages to enhance customer service, amid rising instances of inconvenience and linguistic barriers faced by consumers due to a lack of local language skills, particularly among branch staffers. 

Last week, state-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) advertised that it is recruiting 2,500 ‘Local Bank Officers’ across India, that includes 1,160 positions in Gujarat, 485 in Maharashtra, and 450 in Karnataka. Fluency in local languages has been made an eligibility criterion amid a growing demand to bridge the linguistic