Good luck on your job search.
I have to say that “prevailing wage” ought to be tossed in the ash heap of history. It’s from a time where workers were considered identical drones to be dropped into identical jobs - essentially the union mentality.
The whole idea of work is simple and made overly complicated by a bunch of advanced degree’d idiots. Business pays money, worker gives work.
Want more money? Do more, (or more valuable) work.
Can’t find workers? Then you’re not paying enough. By definition.
Of course there are internal economic reasons that a job can only pay so much, but frankly, it’s irrelevant to the job market, just like it’s irrelevant to Office Depot how much you think supplies are overpriced. The market is what it is and, if you can’t make a deal, then you’re not bringing enough to the table.
There’s a bachelor’s degree worth of economic wisdom in your post. I’d like to grab every Democrat and half the Republicans by the hair of the head and rub their nose in your post.