Goodness man. You read one sentence and conformed it to your bias. Since you had to Google what a "living wage" is, I will educate you so you don't make this mistake again.
A living wage refers to a theoretical income level that allows individuals or families to afford adequate shelter, food, and other necessities. The goal of a living wage is to allow employees to earn enough income for a satisfactory standard of living and prevent them from falling into poverty.
Economists suggest that a living wage should be substantial enough to ensure that no more than 30% of it gets spent on housing, and this amount will often be substantially higher than the legal minimum wage.
Being offered a living wage is a good thing and it's not what you think it is. Living wage is not a minimum wage to keep someone out of poverty. A living wage is a wage that is commensurate with a person's skill/experience, that allows them to live comfortably. Perhaps it's not the same as what we call "gainful employment" but it's pretty close.
I'm sure I could do better at weeding out bad candidates. Sadly, many folks will make portfolios that are fake and not truly representative of their skills. If I hire a bad candidate, it's not because the salary is too low. It's usually because I don't make them jump through a lot of hoops. If they say they can do the job, I'll give them a shot. If they suck, I let them go fast.