[aeternus]

If the majority of the profit really is made by the 'subsidy' or delta between what companies can get away paying vs. the value provided by the low-skill worker, then it would be easy for other companies to come in and take advantage of that margin. Arbitrage should drive down the gap.

Few want to consider the more likely harsh truth: The overall value produced by some low-skilled workers may be insufficient to justify even minimum wage.

If that's the case, then no amount of legislation around working conditions will help since it makes more economic sense for companies to invest in automation than human capital.