No Caption

Michael Jordaan, FNB's techno-savvy CEO, announced through the social network that the group had vacancies for IT programmers, testers and business analysts.

The bank said the recruitment campaign was driven by its plans to expand innovative banking technologies this year.

"We received dozens of applications less than 24 hours after the tweet," the group said in an e-mailed statement.

It said it expected CVs to continue to roll in during the next few days.

The bank denied that the recruitment drive was related to events at other companies.

It said: "We hope to recruit the very best talent out there, both in SA from our competitors and even further afield as social media overrides national borders."

When Jordaan was pressed on the timing of the recruitment campaign, he tweeted that it was a "coincidence".

His response was quickly derided by one user on the social network who said "there is no such thing".

Comfort Duma, the assistant general secretary in charge of the Absa portfolio at the SA Society of Bank Officials (Sasbo) union, said all 1600 staff in Absa's IT division had been asked to reapply for their positions. Sasbo represents about 22000 people at Absa.

Absa said the process now under way did not amount to retrenchments.

In November 2010, FNB offered a two-month free banking services window for customers who moved their accounts to the bank.

The campaign came shortly after Absa had been at loggerheads with the Solidarity trade union after it published a report saying FNB was one of the cheapest banks in SA.

FNB also received a tremendous revenue boost last year when it lured the Gauteng provincial government to move its account - estimated to be worth R300-billion - away from Absa, making it the main banker for South Africa's nine provinces.

In addition, FNB provides banking services to half of South Africa's 278 municipalities through its public sector unit.