Re:Policies that make the poor less poor
by Qwertious on Monday June 21, 2021 @01:57AM
(#27576682)
You've got it backwards - low-skill jobs are done manually because low-skill labour is cheap. Low-skill labour is cheap because most people in it literally can't afford to not work.
We don't need to automate away all our low-skill jobs: we could just pay the workers more. Most workers are paid well below the actual value of their productivity because they have a crappy BATNA, and there's no need for employers to pay much higher than the worker's BATNA.
The more you pay the workers, the more profit in a machine that can replace min-wage workers, and the sooner a machine will be cheaper than the well-paid workers.
We don't need to automate away all our low-skill jobs: we could just pay the workers more. Most workers are paid well below the actual value of their productivity because they have a crappy BATNA, and there's no need for employers to pay much higher than the worker's BATNA.
The more you pay the workers, the more profit in a machine that can replace min-wage workers, and the sooner a machine will be cheaper than the well-paid workers.
You've got it backwards.