Why is minimum wage more important than ample employment?

I have been checking out some of the latest studies on the impact minimum wage policy has on the economy which can be found here and here2. The results of the studies were that minimum wage policy comes with the consequence of higher unemployment and decreased income of those workers that are eliminated. Teens are the most severely impacted and more significantly among black teens.

With this in mind, I’m curious to know why is minimum wage more important than ample employment? Why is a higher paying job more important than the issue of higher unemployment?