Evidence shows technology automates middle-wage occupations’ routine tasks. I argue technology only partially automates these, simplifying them so that they can be performed by less-skilled workers. Thus, post-automation costs include technology and low-wage workers to use it. The minimum wage raises these costs, lowering the profitability of automation and slowing the adoption of routine-replacing technologies. I test this claim using new cross-state variation in the minimum wage (induced by state price differences) and new cross-industry variation in the importance of low-skilled labor for technology (measuring using the Current Population Survey Computer Use Supplement and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles). Because low-skilled workers are needed alongside technology, I show that a low minimum wage increases the automation of routine jobs.

有证据表明，技术使中等工资职业的日常任务自动化。我认为技术只能部分自动化这些操作，从而简化它们，从而使技能水平较低的工人可以执行它们。因此，自动化后的成本包括技术和使用该技术的低薪工人。最低工资增加了这些成本，降低了自动化的获利能力，并减缓了替代常规技术的采用。我使用最低工资的新跨州差异（由州价格差异引起）和低技能劳动力对技术重要性的新跨行业差异（使用“当前人口调查计算机使用补遗”和“词典”进行测量）来检验这种说法的职业称号）。因为需要低技能的工人和技术，所以我证明了最低最低工资会提高日常工作的自动化程度。