The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported a 2.2% decline in its total staff strength, dropping to 13,220 employees as of December 31, 2025, marking the first reduction in five years. This decrease follows a consistent increase from 12,276 in 2020 to 13,520 in 2024. The breakdown of the staff includes 7,517 in Class I, 3,206 in Class III, and 2,497 in Class IV, with only Class I seeing growth. In 2025, the RBI added 247 new employees, a significant drop from 604 in the previous year. Concurrently, total staff expenditure surged by 10.8% to ₹10,136.31 crore in FY26, largely due to increased contributions to superannuation funds following pension revisions. Despite the reduction in headcount, the RBI focused on enhancing its workforce through capacity-building initiatives and the implementation of the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework 2.0. The central bank is also preparing for advanced technology integration in its risk and audit functions, as part of its strategic plan, Utkarsh 2029.