Author(s): Naham Ali, Mohammed Idris
The aim of this study is to identify the skills of accounting graduates required in the labor market, and to find whether the academic education of accounting keeps pace with the developments occurring in the business world. To this end, a questionnaire was distributed to a sample consisting of forty academics and forty professionals. The study reached a number of results, the most prominent of which is the presence of a statistically significant differences among the skills of accounting students that meet the requirements of the labor market from the point of view of professionals. Additionally, the presence of statistically significant differences of the extent of agreement between professionals and academics on the importance of the skills of accounting students that meet the needs of the labor market. However, the results show an absence of a statistically significant differences among the skills of accounting students that meet the requirements of the labor market from the point of view of academics. It is recommended that institutions of higher education provide sufficient flexibility towards the modification of curricula, and establish joint programs with relevant industries that help universities provide the needs of employers.