Yes all those foreign airlines have cadet scemes...And dont pay their pilots housing allowance.
In Hong Kong cx has to attract foreigners to come to hong kong. Without the housing allowance they would be unable to.
For the cadets there is free education, something most foreign carries do not offer...no training bond...no years and years of flying around in GA, dodgy airplanes etc etc.
Call me crazy....
Cadets have the better end of the deal...
ps. if you country doesn't have GA, you move to a country that does. Simple.
psps. cx is not the government...and btw they like to pay themselves up to 2.5 times more than similar jobs would pay in the private sector (with your tax-money), so I wouldn't use the government as an example of common sense!