Anticipating business growth as the economy opens up fully, banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) have ramped up hiring plans with an increase of as high as 30-35% in recruitments from a year earlier, especially of those on the technology side of the business. Private lender HDFC Bank, which aims to reach 200,000 villages in the next 24 months, has plans to hire more than 2,500 people in the next six months, while the Shriram Group is hiring 5,000 across its many companies. ICICI Home Finance is looking to onboard 600 employees by December while Kotak Mahindra Bank, too, has resumed hiring closer to pre-Covid levels.