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Originally Posted by Original Position
This isn't that dumb. The higher the price of labor the better the return from replacing labor, thus also a higher ROI in labor-saving devices like fast food kiosks. This would imply that a higher minimum wage could have the effect of replacing these jobs more quickly than they would be without the increase.
This is true, but I think this might be missing the forest for the trees. It's already very difficult to live on minimum wage. What does it matter to the fast-food worker if, in the hypothetical universe without min. wage laws, they get to keep their jobs but at a wage level that's impossible to live on?
I'm also skeptical that it's actually the case that McDonald's automation plans are driven at all by minimum wage laws, but it's hard to prove. Even without any such laws, there's still some theoretical wage floor that people would be willing to work at in the numbers they need, and I doubt that number competes with automation in the long run.
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Originally Posted by Original Position
Would you favor a universal basic income of 11K plus completely getting rid of the minimum wage over the status quo?
Leaving aside what the actual amount should be, I do think UBI plans make more sense than minimum wage laws in a future with increased automation, but probably only alongside other significant changes to the way we think about work and the economy.