diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBean.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBean.java
index 77b4703c1..4951a8c68 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBean.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBean.java
@@ -399,6 +399,14 @@ class StepParserStepFactoryBean<I, O> implements FactoryBean, BeanNameAware {
 		if (tasklet != null) {
 			ts.setTasklet(tasklet);
 		}
+		if (taskExecutor != null) {
+			TaskExecutorRepeatTemplate repeatTemplate = new TaskExecutorRepeatTemplate();
+			repeatTemplate.setTaskExecutor(taskExecutor);
+			if (throttleLimit != null) {
+				repeatTemplate.setThrottleLimit(throttleLimit);
+			}
+			ts.setStepOperations(repeatTemplate);
+		}
 		if (transactionManager != null) {
 			ts.setTransactionManager(transactionManager);
 		}
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/tasklet/TaskletStep.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/tasklet/TaskletStep.java
index ec981c68d..974ca3000 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/tasklet/TaskletStep.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/step/tasklet/TaskletStep.java
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public class TaskletStep extends AbstractStep {
 
 	private Tasklet tasklet;
 
-	private Semaphore semaphore = new Semaphore(1);
+	private final Semaphore semaphore = new Semaphore(1);
 
 	/**
 	 * Default constructor.
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ public class TaskletStep extends AbstractStep {
 	@Override
 	public void afterPropertiesSet() throws Exception {
 		super.afterPropertiesSet();
-		Assert.state(transactionManager!=null, "A transaction manager must be provided");
+		Assert.state(transactionManager != null, "A transaction manager must be provided");
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -316,24 +316,29 @@ public class TaskletStep extends AbstractStep {
 
 		@Override
 		public void afterCompletion(int status) {
-			if (status != TransactionSynchronization.STATUS_COMMITTED) {
-				if (oldVersion != null) {
-					// Wah! the commit failed. We need to rescue the step
-					// execution data.
-					stepExecution.setVersion(oldVersion);
+			try {
+				if (status != TransactionSynchronization.STATUS_COMMITTED) {
+					if (oldVersion != null) {
+						// Wah! the commit failed. We need to rescue the step
+						// execution data.
+						stepExecution.setVersion(oldVersion);
+					}
+				}
+				if (status == TransactionSynchronization.STATUS_UNKNOWN) {
+					logger.error("Rolling back with transaction in unknown state");
+					rollback(stepExecution);
+					stepExecution.upgradeStatus(BatchStatus.UNKNOWN);
+					stepExecution.setTerminateOnly();
 				}
 			}
-			if (status == TransactionSynchronization.STATUS_UNKNOWN) {
-				logger.error("Rolling back with transaction in unknown state");
-				rollback(stepExecution);
-				stepExecution.upgradeStatus(BatchStatus.UNKNOWN);
-				stepExecution.setTerminateOnly();
+			finally {
+				// Only release the lock if we acquired it, and release as late
+				// as possible
+				if (locked) {
+					semaphore.release();
+				}
+				locked = false;
 			}
-			// Only release the lock if we acquired it, and release as late as possible
-			if (locked) {
-				semaphore.release();
-			}
-			locked = false;
 		}
 
 		public Object doInTransaction(TransactionStatus status) {
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBeanTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBeanTests.java
index 26b7e2539..c874f11fd 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBeanTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/StepParserStepFactoryBeanTests.java
@@ -36,8 +36,10 @@ import org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.TaskletStep;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ItemStream;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.file.FlatFileItemReader;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.support.PassThroughItemProcessor;
+import org.springframework.batch.repeat.support.TaskExecutorRepeatTemplate;
 import org.springframework.batch.retry.listener.RetryListenerSupport;
 import org.springframework.batch.support.transaction.ResourcelessTransactionManager;
+import org.springframework.core.task.SimpleAsyncTaskExecutor;
 import org.springframework.core.task.SyncTaskExecutor;
 import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
 import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Isolation;
@@ -65,6 +67,17 @@ public class StepParserStepFactoryBeanTests {
 		assertTrue(tasklet instanceof DummyTasklet);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testOnlyTaskletTaskExecutor() throws Exception {
+		StepParserStepFactoryBean<Object, Object> fb = new StepParserStepFactoryBean<Object, Object>();
+		fb.setTasklet(new DummyTasklet());
+		fb.setTaskExecutor(new SimpleAsyncTaskExecutor());
+		Object step = fb.getObject();
+		assertTrue(step instanceof TaskletStep);
+		Object stepOperations = ReflectionTestUtils.getField(step, "stepOperations");
+		assertTrue(stepOperations instanceof TaskExecutorRepeatTemplate);
+	}
+
 	@Test(expected = IllegalStateException.class)
 	public void testSkipLimitSet() throws Exception {
 		StepParserStepFactoryBean<Object, Object> fb = new StepParserStepFactoryBean<Object, Object>();