Westpac is reshuffling its staff by cutting 200 teller and personal banker roles and adding 200 new positions to support home lending and small business banking.

The business-focused big four bank said Wednesday it would try to keep as many employees on as possible through retraining and redeployment.

Australia’s major banks have announced thousands of job cuts in recent months, with Commonwealth Bank, NAB, ANZ, Bendigo Bank and the Bank of Queensland all shedding staff.

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A Westpac spokesman noted that the bank is a major Australian employer with more than 30,000 staff across the country and last year hired almost 5,000 people in Australia.

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“We adjust the composition of our workforce according to our investment priorities,” he said.

“While we continue to invest in extra bankers, other areas may need fewer resources.”

In an email to employees, Westpac general manager for retail banking, Damien Macrae, said that the decision was part of the bank’s digital-first strategy.

Westpac is investing $5 million in training staff and, in the past 12 months, 33 employees have taken the next step in their careers by moving from branches to becoming home finance managers, he added.

-with AAP