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Applicant Privacy Policy

1.   Our commitment to protecting your privacy

In applying to join Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Cathay Pacific, We, Our, Us or the Company and each of them a Cathay Pacific entity), you will be providing us with certain personal data about yourself.  Cathay Pacific respects and safeguards the privacy of all applicants.  This Applicant Privacy Notice (this Privacy Notice) sets out the key principles regarding how the personal data of our applicants will be managed. Generally, the Cathay Pacific entity or branch you apply to will be the data user / controller of that personal data.

This Privacy Notice serves as a Personal Information Collection Statement (PICS) under the Personal Data Privacy Ordinance, Cap. 486 (PDPO) of Hong Kong SAR.

If you are located in the Chinese Mainland, the Chinese Mainland Applicant Privacy Notice applies in place of this Privacy Notice, as required by local law. 

This Privacy Notice is intended to explain our privacy practices and covers the following areas: 

a)  Section 2: Personal data we collect about you;

b)  Section 3: How we collect your personal data;

c)  Section 4: Why we collect and use your personal data;

d)  Section 5: Automated decision making and how it impacts your application;

e)  Section 6: Who we share your personal data with;

f)  Section 7: Storage and security of your personal data;

g)  Section 8: Transferring your personal data overseas; 

h)  Section 9: Your rights as a job applicant;

i)  Section 10: Contact Us; and

j)  Section 11: Updates to this Privacy Notice.

2.   The personal data we collect

We will only collect personal data that is necessary to assess your suitability for the role you applied for. This may include information you provide directly, as well as information obtained from third parties or job platforms through which you applied.

a)  your contact details, CV or résumé, application form details, references from former employer(s), qualification certificates, training certificates, licenses; 

b)  national insurance or other identification number, visa status, passport or permission to work documentation;

c)  if permitted by law, health details (via you or our occupational health assessor, limited to a declaration of fitness to work);

d)  if permitted by law, information relating to criminal records or financial probity checks or other independent searches (and where we do so you will be asked to consent to such collection and use before we or our agents undertake the search) that we undertake to assess your suitability for the position applied for; 

e)  materials produced during the recruitment process, including any video and presentations you provide us for the purposes of a recruitment assessment, aptitude/skills test results and any contemporaneous interview notes (whether made by you or the interviewer, about you); and

f)  Log data, IP address and other metadata if applying via an online portal.  

Where we request personal data, we will make clear whether the information is required or optional. If you choose not to provide certain required information, it may affect our ability to assess your application or proceed with the recruitment process. 

When and why we collect special categories of personal data

Certain types of personal data — such as information relating to race or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health conditions, or criminal convictions — are considered special categories of personal data or sensitive personal data under applicable data protection laws. We seek to limit the collection and use of such data and will only process it where there is a clear and lawful reason to do so. 

As part of the recruitment process, we may process sensitive personal data where necessary and permitted by law. For example, we may request information on criminal convictions or conduct background checks where relevant to the role. We may also collect health-related information to make reasonable adjustments, or where specific health conditions are relevant to the performance of the role. 

We may also collect special categories of personal data voluntarily for diversity and inclusion monitoring, such as information about your ethnicity, gender, or any disabilities.

3.   How we collect your personal data 

We may collect your personal data either directly or indirectly, as set out below:

a)  Directly: We may obtain your personal data from you directly, such as through our Career Site.

b)  Indirectly: We may also obtain personal data from third parties such as our business partners, online job platforms (e.g. LinkedIn) employment agencies, past employers, educational or sporting institutions, credit reference and anti-fraud agencies, other background check agencies/organisations, sanctions and politically exposed person screening lists or public registers. 

If you are a former employee of Cathay Pacific, we will use former employment records available for the purpose of assessing your application for employment.

4.   Why we collect and use your personal data

We collect, use, and process your personal data only where appropriate and permitted under applicable laws. This is done to support the recruitment process, meet legal obligations, and prepare for a potential employment relationship with you. 

Your personal data, whether collected directly from you or via third-party recruitment platforms, will be used and/or processed for the following purposes:  

a)  To assess your suitability for the role 

We use your personal data to evaluate your qualifications, experience, and fit for the advertised role, or other opportunities within Cathay Pacific. This includes reviewing your application, CV, interview performance, test results, and reference checks. 

This processing is necessary for us to take steps at your request prior to potentially entering into an employment contract with you, to meet equal opportunity obligations, and relevant safety requirements under applicable laws. 

b)  To prepare for onboarding

If your application is successful, we may process your personal data to arrange necessary steps before you start work. This includes reference checking, preparing an employment contract, arranging work permits or visas, and applying for airside security passes.

This is part of our legitimate recruitment processes and necessary for entering into an employment relationship with you.

c)  To comply with legal and regulatory obligations

We may process your personal data to comply with applicable laws, regulations to which we are subject to. This could include background screening, sanctions checks, or cooperating with investigations.

This processing is required to fulfil legal obligations to which we are subject.

We may also analyse recruitment data in aggregate (without identifying individual applicants) to improve our hiring process and ensure fairness. This is based on our legitimate interests in managing and improving our recruitment operations.

If you are unable to provide certain requested personal data, we may not be able to assess your suitability for the role, communicate with you, or proceed with your application.

If your application is successful and you accept our offer, the personal data collected during the recruitment process will continue to be used in accordance with our Employee Privacy Notice, including for onboarding and employment administration. A copy of the Employee Privacy Notice will be provided at your onboarding.

5.   Automated decision-making and how it affects your application

Some parts of our recruitment process may involve automated decision-making. For example, we may automatically shortlist applicants who meet objective minimum criteria, such as legal right to work, relevant qualifications, or professional certifications. These automated filters are used to help us efficiently identify candidates for further review.

Where applicable law requires, we apply safeguards to such processes, including the right to request human intervention or review, express your point of view, and contest the decision.

6.   Who we share your personal data with 

We may share your personal data with third parties for the purposes set out in Section 3. 

  • appropriate and authorised persons within the Company; 
  • any agents, contractors or third party service providers who provide administrative, computer, consultative or other services to the Company in connection with the recruitment and selection process; 
  • any relevant government or regulatory authorities, for example, the Inland Revenue Department, the Labour Department and the Immigration Department; 
  • any dispute resolution forums such as courts and tribunals (including arbitration tribunals) as well as the other party/parties to the dispute as part of the dispute resolution process (including mediation and settlement negotiations); 
  • where we have obtained your consent, we may share your personal data to subsidiary/associated companies, local or overseas, including for matters related to career planning/development within the Company and/or employment/assignment/secondment with any of the subsidiary/associated companies or with the Company itself.  

7.   Storage and security of your personal data

We keep records of your data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which we obtained them and any other permitted linked purposes.

If your application is unsuccessful, we will keep your details on file for as long as is necessary to process your application or for the purposes of further job opportunities if you agree to such longer periods.  

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised access, disclosure, or use. This includes implementing technical and organisational measures, such as restricted access controls, encryption, and secure storage systems. Access to your data is limited to those who have a business need to know.

8.   Overseas transfers of personal data 

Given the global nature of our operations, your personal data may be shared with Cathay Pacific entities, branches, or third-party service providers in other jurisdictions. Where we transfer your personal data internationally, we take appropriate steps to ensure that your data remains protected in accordance with applicable legal requirements. These may include the use of standard contractual clauses or other safeguards recognised under data protection laws.

9.   Your rights as a job applicant

We respect your rights under applicable data protection laws and are committed to giving you meaningful control over your personal data. Depending on your country of residence and the laws that apply, you may have the following rights:

a)  Right to access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, along with information on how and why we are using it during the recruitment process.

b)  Right to rectification: If any of your personal data is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct or update it.

c)  Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your personal data — for example, if it is no longer necessary for the recruitment process or you withdraw your application.

d)  Right to restrict processing: You may request that we limit the way we use your data, for example while we review a request to correct or delete it.

e)  Right to data portability: Where applicable, you can ask us to provide your personal data in a commonly used format so that you can transfer it to another service provider.

f)  Right to object: You may object to our use of your personal data where it is processed based on our legitimate interests, including for direct marketing purposes.

g)  Right to withdraw consent: If we rely on your consent to use your personal data, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent.

h)  Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the DPO or your local data protection authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed.

Please note that these rights are subject to certain legal limitations and may vary depending on your location. We may need to verify your identity before we can respond to certain requests.

Under certain data protection laws, the Company has the right to charge a reasonable fee for the processing of any data access request.

10.   Contacting us 

If you would like to exercise your data protection rights, ask a question, or request more information about how we handle your personal data, you may contact our Talent Acquisition Team at ta_performance@cathaypacific.com or in writing to Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, People - Talent Acquisition, 8th Floor, Cathay Pacific City, 8 Scenic Road, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong.  We will review your request and respond without undue delay, in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

11.   Updates to this Privacy Notice 

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our recruitment practices, applicable laws, or other operational requirements. When updates are made, the latest version will be published on our careers website, along with the date it takes effect. 

We encourage you to review this Privacy Notice periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal data in relation to the application and recruitment process. Where required by applicable laws, we will notify you of any material changes — for example, by email or through a notice on our careers website. 

In the event of any inconsistency between the English version of this Privacy Notice and any translated version, the English version shall prevail, to the extent permitted by applicable law. 

 

Last updated: 3 October 2025
This Privacy Notice may be updated from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page.

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