According to the Turkish Banks Association (TBB) December 2009 report, the total number of bank branches in Turkey had reached 9,036 by the end of last year, while the total number of people employed by banks rose to 172,403.
İş Bankası is planning to open 60 to 70 new branches in 2010, officials from the bank were reported as saying by the Anatolia news agency. Correspondingly, the bank will employ approximately 1,000 additional members of staff, the officials noted. According to the information from officials at Garanti Bank, the bank also plans to open approximately 60 new branches this year, recruiting around 1,000 new employees.
Expecting to open 45 to 50 new branches this year, Halkbank plans to add about 1,250 new staff to its workforce. Şekerbank also aims to increase its number of branches from the current 256 to 300 within the next three years.
Şekerbank Personal Banking Assistant General Director Abdurrahman Özciğer, in an assessment of the future of the Turkish banking sector, noted that they expect to see more than 400 new bank branches opening this year, which will create employment for more than 10,000 people. The banking sector will become popular with new graduates in 2010, he said, adding that this year banks will also place more focus on measures to boost efficiency.
