This assumes that everyone is solely motivated by maximizing payout above all else, which is not only incredibly cynical, but also just plain empirically wrong.

(Again, by way of counterexample, I took a huge paycut to move from the US to Europe, but y'know, my quality of life is better, I live in a much safer, more pleasant place and I don't need to see people living in cardboard boxes from the window of my nice home anymore)