Wage subsidies would increase wages and create jobs.
Traditional (income tested) welfare imposes a “tax” on work of 60-90% or more depending on what welfare programs someone is on, creating a poverty trap where no matter how much a low income person works, they are not appreciably better off.
Wage subsidies, on the other hand, give a larger subsidy to low wage workers the more hours they work, increasing the incentive to work.
Wage subsidies help American labor compete in a global labor market and also help ensure jobs with decent wages for humans in an age when many jobs are being automated away at an increasing rate.