Scholars and policy makers frame the debate on labour market polarisation by emphasising the role of
key drivers such as international trade and of technological change. The present paper explores these themes
from a different perspective, and inquires whether de-routinisation has harmed local innovation capacity.
Our empirical study builds on the literature on learning-bydoing and incremental innovation, and focuses on
advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) in US Metropolitan Statistical Areas over the period 1990-2012.
Results provide support to the hypothesis that de-routinisation is associated with a generalized decline of local
innovation performance, especially in AMTs