Sir, don't you get it? It doesn't matter if we feel $65K is enough. The figure is insufficient to get qualified drug free candidates SO IT IS TOO LOW.
No, other factors are involved.
“The study found that much of the pickup in participation had come from Americans with some college education or less, as the labor market has tightened and employers have relaxed hiring requirements in order to find workers.”
Too many are/were asking for scholastic levels beyond that required – many times only for bragging rights - "All our personnel are college graduates", etc.. (personal experience)