Employers’ Preference on Employability Skills of Business Management and Accounting Graduates

Mismatch between the graduates skills and attributes with the industry needs has been a challenge for colleges and universities. Thus Higher education institutions (HEIs) constantly review the curricula to respond to the relevant human resource needs. This study assessed the employability skills preference of the 65 public and private organizations. The employability skills assessed were analytical, technology, communication, interpersonal, problem-solving and management skills, as well as formal accounting qualification, leadership, capacity for innovation and organization and commercial awareness. The results showed that the skills more preferred by the employers are leadership, communication and interpersonal skills. Conversely, the least preferred by the employers were found to be formal accounting qualification, technology skills and capacity for innovation. The study also established that there are differences on preferences by types of business in terms of communication and interpersonal skills. Future studies could address the different factors affecting the acquisition of each employability skill