I am amazed that anybody is in the least bit surprised.
Airlines have always sought experience, particularly when it is readily available, and make no mistake it nearly always is.
I would have thought 2500 hours including at least 500 turbine hours, before you become a serious player in that game. This has pretty much been the median requirement for the last three decades and more.
Cadet entry is the only real route to "Low time" airline employment with the sort of hours being bandied about here, and that comes with its own set of criteria and difficulties.
Climbing the "self improver" route has never been easy, and that is even more so today. Finding those "stepping stone" career opportunities is challenging, elusive and very difficult, but some people still manage it, as they always have.
Outside of the "cadet" programmes, airlines are not usually going to be interested in what you have done with your 1000 hours. There is no reason at all why they should be.
Keep climbing!