Don’t have much to add to this, other than it’s nice to reply to someone who is actually thinking about the subject instead of reciting dogma.
The problem I see with increasing the necessary skill level of jobs is that, like it or not, some folks just plain aren’t suited for high skill jobs. The local Wendy’s employs a kid with Down’s Syndrome to keep the dining room clean. He does a great job and does not seem to be bored with the simple work. When, not if, Wendy’s deploys a robot to handle the job of keeping the dining room clean, what work will he be suited for? Presumably he’s getting at least minimum wage, unless there is some program that allows Wendy’s to employ him at a lower one.
I’ll have to read his stuff. Is it still in print?
The world we’re discussing can wind up as either a utopia or a distopia. I hope for the former, but I fear the latter. If we “follow the money”, I see no reason to believe that business owners have any interest in either employing any more than the bare minimum number of people, or making life better for anyone but themselves.