Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the gap between skills expected by managers and skills possessed by business graduates employed by banking industry. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with bank officers under whom fresh business graduates were working. They were asked to indicate the importance of 12 employability skills in the industry and to rate business graduates working under them against these skills. Results are achieved by applying paired samples and independent samples t-tests on data collected from 121 bank officers. Findings Results prove that overall employability skills of the graduates are lesser than expected by the managers. Significant skill gaps were found for listening, problem solving, communication, leadership, interpersonal, analytical, self-management, numeracy and critical thinking. Results also reveal that problem-solving skill of male graduates is superior that that of females. Practical implications The study makes business graduates clear in what skills they are to learn and how it relates to the expectations of managers in banking industry. It helps business schools to revise and improve curriculum of some specialized banking programs according to the needs of the industry. Originality/value This is the first study that investigates the skills required by the banking industry out of business graduates. It also identifies the skill gaps for fresh business graduates from managerial perspective in banking industry of Pakistan.