The Spanish big banks maintain their workforces despite the bet on AI

BarcelonaThe implementation of new artificial intelligence tools in the Spanish banking sector is not impacting the staff of the large state entities, for now. With the exception of Banco Santander —which has cut almost 8,400 jobs globally over the last twelve months— the other five Ibex entities have added, over the last year, up to one hundred employees. According to the semi-annual income statements presented in recent weeks to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), the group formed by CaixaBank, Banc Sabadell, BBVA, Bankinter, and Unicaja had 99,539 employees at the end of June, slightly above the 99,439 registered at the same time last year.

The main driver of employment in the sector is CaixaBank, which over the last twelve months has increased its workforce in Spain by 627 employees, going from 41,810 in June 2025 to 42,437 in June of the current fiscal year. After one of the largest employment regulation files in the State was completed in 2021 —more than 6,400 departures occurred following the merger with Bankia— the entity has accumulated two consecutive years of workforce expansion. The hiring of new personnel compensates for departures due to natural turnover and retirements, driven mainly by technological profiles.

more than 6,400 departures following the merger with Bankia— the entity has accumulated two consecutive years of workforce expansion. The hiring of new personnel compensates for departures due to natural turnover and retirements, driven mainly by technological profiles.

The CEO, Gonzalo Gortázar, detailed in this week's results presentation that the company had expanded the workforce of CaixaBank Tech —the group's technological subsidiary— from 300 to 1,700 people in two and a half years. At the same time, he also assured that the network had been strengthened. "In many parts of the Spanish geography, customers continue to go to the branches. [...] For this reason, we need hands, brains, and people who talk to our clients," he stated.

In a similar vein, the staff reduction at Sabadell and BBVA has been limited. At the Sabadell entity, the number of employees in Spain has decreased by 297 people over the last twelve months — it has gone from 14,139 in June 2025 to 13,842 according to the latest results—, while at the Basque-based bank, the cut has been only 59 employees, from 29,265 to 29,206. In both cases, their respective CEOs, Marc Armengol and Onur Genç, have ruled out further early retirements and staff adjustments due to artificial intelligence despite their commitment to new technologies. In this regard, and almost simultaneously, both entities have reorganized their structure following the failed takeover bid to execute their business plan, placing special emphasis on the implementation of AI to work internally and for the client.

In turn, Bankinter has registered a slight increase in staff, closing the first half of the year with 6,657 employees, eight more than a year ago. On the other hand, Unicaja has finished the period with a team of 7,397 people, 179 fewer year-on-year.

Santander, the exception

Banco Santander has been the discordant note of the last twelve months, as it has dispensed with almost 8,400 workers in the markets where it operates worldwide. The entity chaired by Ana Botín —which only offers global data in its balance sheet— is also fully committed to AI, and has reached agreements with OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, to become an "AI-native" bank.

Coinciding with the presentation of the new data, Santander and the unions agreed two weeks ago on a early retirement plan which, according to union calculations, will allow the voluntary adhesion of around 5,000 workers in Spain alone.

Union warning

Beyond the evolution of templates, one of the trends that remains in the sector is the reduction in the number of offices. In June 2026, the network in the State — this time taking into account the six Ibex banks— numbered 9,984 branches, down from 10,424 active at the end of the first half of last year. On this issue, union sources consulted by ARA lament that the sector's transformation has not taken into account the opinion of social agents and warn of the possible consequences of this transition.

On the one hand, they fear that customer service will worsen while opting for remote contact, thus compromising a declining network of offices. On the other hand, they are skeptical that the new jobs will be truly "quality" and that the changes are solely aimed at shareholder gains. According to the results of this first half, the six major Ibex banks achieved a record profit of 20,164 million euros, 18% more than in the first six months of last year.