I think these requirements are fair enough.
After all, they would want people that can move into the left hand a year after joining, if that was to ever occur. As we know, those sort of hr requirements are not a guarantee that it will be smooth but the odds are it will.
Saabs and aircraft of their type don't have Auto Throttles etc (from memory, Auto Pilot can not even be hooked up to VNAV). No ILS to ILS flying but dark night approaches with CTAF traffic etc and the Saab just loves icing up while you are at it. It can be very demanding work (although Regional Managements don't appreciate that fact one bit).
You young ones have been very spoilt over the last 10 years.
Go back to the late 90's when there were 10 drivers for every job.
Skytrans in Cairns had a fleet of Titans/Cessna 402's and Cessna 310's.
Up in the Torres Straits they had a couple of Britten Norman Islanders where you spent your first year living like an animal. In 1999 when I was sniffing around, the requirements for a taste of that glamourous life was.
2,500 TT
700 Multi Command.
However, when there is huge Airline growth for 2yrs every decade, all of a sudden, flying an aeroplane apparently becomes easy and requirements tumble.