Abstract The rapid evolution of the accounting profession, particularly with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), presents a critical challenge for undergraduate accounting education to prepare future-ready graduates. This study focuses on bridging the employability skills gap, exploring the alignment between skills demanded in Australian graduate accounting job advertisements and those assessed in first-year undergraduate accounting courses. I analysed 100 Australian graduate job advertisements across two time periods (2022-2025) and conducted a content analysis of first-year undergraduate accounting course outlines from Australian Group of Eight Universities. This study reveals a significant misalignment: while employer demand for both information technology and interpersonal skills has substantially increased over time, undergraduate assessments predominantly emphasise traditional technical skills. Specifically, first-year assessments are heavily weighted on traditional examinations (averaging 57%), while dedicating only on average 15% to collaborative activities that develop professional skills. This paper offers crucial recommendations for accounting educators, accreditation bodies, and curriculum developers to bridge this identified skills gap, ensuring accounting graduates are future-ready.