Who said you just need 2500 hours? Is this wishful thinking? ( that is probably the case also for EK threads that some people tend to think that the recruiters are crying to find pilots). In my opinion they are not that desperate as many people would like to think.
Just for your information I have more than 4500 total time, more than 2000 on 737. I applied 2 times in last 2 years, I did not get a single reply.