More than 5,000 jobseekers have applied for 200 Cathay Pacific positions as flight attendants, with 1,500 of them turning up for inter views at Chek Lap Kok yesterday.
The job hopefuls arrived at the Regal Airport Hotel, the recruitment venue, as early as 5am, four hours before the start of interviews. The overwhelming response forced the airline to extend the exercise by two hours.
Many jobseekers were male university graduates. Matthew, 27, said the job was becoming more popular with men, including some of his friends.
'They have a lot of freedom to see the world and have adventures,' he said.
Another said he would accept any job, given the current state of the economy and the record high jobless rate of 7.1 per cent.
'The economy is bad and it is difficult to find a job, unlike the old days when every job could offer pay over $10,000,' he said.
The minimum pay package for a flight attendant at the airline is $12,000 a month.