Workforce preparedness in the K to 12 era: service sectors' preferred employability skills of accountancy, business and management graduates in the Philippines

Purpose This study investigates the employability skills of K to 12 Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) senior high school graduates as desired by service-oriented companies in Angeles City, Philippines. Specifically, the study focuses on employer expectations of employability skills rather than the actual skill levels of graduates. It does not assess graduates’ competencies nor conduct a skills gap analysis but instead captures the perspectives of employers regarding the competencies they value for entry-level positions. It aims to understand how secondary education aligns with workforce expectations in the context of the country’s K to 12 reform. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive survey design was employed involving 252 owners, managers and human resource officers from selected service companies. Stratified sampling was used based on G*Power computation. The survey instrument was adapted from the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) framework, modified for the senior high school context, and tested for reliability using IBM SPSS (Cronbach’s a = 0.919). Employability skills were assessed through a four-point Likert scale, categorized into workplace competencies and foundation skills. Findings Results reveal that among workplace competencies, resource management and interpersonal skills were rated as most essential, while information skills were ranked lowest. For foundation skills, personal qualities emerged as the most valued. Overall, interpersonal and personal qualities skills were identified as the strongest employability attributes sought by employers. These findings reflect employer preferences and expectations and should not be interpreted as direct measures of graduates’ actual skill proficiency. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to service companies in one city and may not fully represent other regions or industries. Additionally, the study relies solely on employer perceptions and does not include assessments of graduates’ actual competencies or a comparison between expected and existing skill levels. Future research can expand across sectors, include multiple stakeholders (e.g. graduates and educators) and integrate qualitative or mixed-method approaches to provide a more comprehensive analysis of employability and potential skills gaps. Practical implications Findings provide empirical support for integrating targeted employability skill development – particularly interpersonal, resource management and personal qualities – into the ABM curriculum through curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular initiatives. Social implications By highlighting the employability skill expectations of employers, the study informs educational policymakers and senior high institutions in strengthening the school-to-work transition under the K to 12 framework. Originality/value This study contributes to employability discourse in the Philippine K to 12 system by mapping employer-valued competencies and offering evidence-based recommendations for workforce preparedness and curriculum enhancement while clearly positioning its scope as an employer-centered perspective rather than a direct evaluation of graduate outcomes.