"Employers don’t have to pay more because there are many people who have been sitting on the bench, waiting for good jobs..."

Section 8 here ALLOWS and PAYS for people to do just that as there is, apparently, no work search requirement.

One other thing for why employers don't have to pay more, and wrap your head around this, - employees have/will REFUSE higher incomes as it causes them to be disqualified for other "programs".  I can attest to this as FACT as we've have people ask to NOT have raises, have asked for LOWER pay (commission scale), and have asked for less hours and workdays to accomplish this.  
We've had two employees, with no special education, break above 60k in earnings.  One QUIT as they had to start paying this "newfangled" thing called taxes WHILE their entitlements were being cut.   Employers are in competition while our govt entitlement programs PROVIDED.