Soft Accounting Skills between Employers’ Expectations and Students’ Reality after COVID-19 Pandemic

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Maram Alhawsawi

Abstract

Business environment, the requirements of the accounting profession, in addition to the demand and supply of accountants, are the main parameters that influence accounting education (Zraa et al., 2011). These factors determine what subjects should be introduced to accounting students to meet the quick changes in the labor market. Globalization and innovations in Information Technology made it essential that university accounting graduates must be fluent in technical knowledge (hard skills) beside non-technical (soft skills). Having technical knowledge alone is not enough for preparing graduates for their future career. Employers now look for employees equipped with a combination of soft and hard skills. After COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges and competition in labor market would increase and it would be harder for accounting graduates to get a job. An employee who is technically qualified and armed with necessary soft skills, including communication and thinking skills, is more useful for the company by introducing better quality services (Bancino and Zevalkink, 2007). As a result, it was suggested that accounting students are expected to combine hard and soft skills to prepare them for better multitask in today’s modern labor market expectations especially during the crises.


Keywords: Soft Accounting Skills; Employers’ Expectations; Accounting Students’ Qualifications; Accounting Education; Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Market


Australian Academy of Accounting and Finance Review, vol 5, issue 2, July 2019, pp 69-76

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