Bridging the Gap of Perceived Skills between Employers and Accounting Graduates in Malaysia

The changing trend of market demand on the role of accountants in today competitive business environment raising the question on what skills is in the top priority of the current market needs in Malaysia. Particularly, Accounting graduates are less aware of the reality. This study aims to bridge the gap of perceived soft skills and technical skills between employers and Accounting graduates in Malaysia. Constant sum allocation method is adopted to analyze the relative importance of each of the attributes. Where each attribute of soft skills and technical skills are to be compared according to the rank assigned by employers and graduates. The results of the questionnaire survey show that employers demand a more independent and leadership type graduate instead of a follower. The findings provide better information in bridging the perceived skills gap between employers and graduates, the unemployed graduates a better understanding on the current market needs, and higher institutions to improve their curriculum in nurturing quality graduates.