Will minimum wage hikes lead to a huge boost in automation? Only if we're lucky
Here is the critical section of the article:<p>&gt; <i>What about the workers thrown out of jobs by the new robo-waiters? Many would get new jobs, though the way this would work is often ignored.</i><p>&gt; <i>Most restaurants would keep longer hours (they&#x27;re paying for the rent and the robots anyway), meaning many workers would get a raise and change shifts.</i><p>No, the workers are now fired. They don&#x27;t get a raise.<p>&gt; <i>The advanced robo-restaurant technology would itself be a valuable American export good, and people would be employed in designing and selling it.</i><p>Yes, but not the people we just fired.<p>&gt; <i>Some low-wage work would be reallocated out of the relatively low-social-value restaurant sector and into things like child care and home health assistance, for which there is ample demand.</i><p>If there is ample demand for such things, and those things pay better, and typical restaurant workers are qualified, then we should already see a mass exodus from restaurant work. We don&#x27;t. Thus one of these things isn&#x27;t true.<p>&gt; <i>Since poor people are now making more money...</i><p>You have not given any evidence to support this.