Informalitas, Modal Manusia, dan Disparitas Pendapatan: Studi Kasus Dualisme Ekonomi di Provinsi Jawa Barat

Abstract

Abstract. Income inequality remains a challenge for economic development in the regencies and cities of West Java Province. The high proportion of informal workers, disparities in human capital quality, and differences in the characteristics of industrial and agricultural regions are believed to contribute to income disparities. This study aims to analyze the effects of the informal workforce, average years of schooling (RLS), and regional characteristics on income inequality (Gini coefficient) in the regencies and cities of West Java Province for the period 2018–2025. The study employs panel data regression using a Fixed Effects Model (FEM) corrected with White’s Robust Standard Error across 27 regencies and cities. The Mean Centering technique was applied to address multicollinearity in the interaction terms. The results show that, taken together, informal workers, ALS, and regional characteristics have a significant effect on income inequality, with the model explaining 67.62 percent of the variation in inequality. Partially, an increase in the proportion of informal workers was found to reduce income inequality, thereby confirming its role as a safety valve in line with the principle of distributive justice (‘adl) in Islamic economics. Conversely, an increase in RLS in industrial regions correlates with a rise in the Gini coefficient due to the phenomenon of Skill-Based Technological Change (SBTC). Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen vocational education and training, expand access to education, and improve productivity and protections for informal workers to support income equality.

Abstrak. Ketimpangan pendapatan masih menjadi permasalahan pembangunan ekonomi di kabupaten/kota Provinsi Jawa Barat. Tingginya proporsi pekerja informal, kesenjangan kualitas modal manusia, serta perbedaan karakteristik wilayah industri dan agraris diduga memengaruhi disparitas pendapatan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis pengaruh pekerja informal, Rata-Rata Lama Sekolah (RLS), dan karakteristik wilayah terhadap ketimpangan pendapatan (Gini Ratio) di kabupaten/kota Provinsi Jawa Barat periode 2018–2025. Penelitian menggunakan regresi data panel dengan Fixed Effect Model (FEM) yang dikoreksi menggunakan White Robust Standard Error pada 27 kabupaten/kota. Teknik Mean Centering diterapkan untuk mengatasi multikolinearitas pada variabel interaksi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara simultan pekerja informal, RLS, dan karakteristik wilayah berpengaruh signifikan terhadap ketimpangan pendapatan dengan kemampuan model menjelaskan variasi ketimpangan sebesar 67,62%. Secara parsial, peningkatan proporsi pekerja informal terbukti menurunkan ketimpangan pendapatan sehingga mengonfirmasi perannya sebagai safety valve yang selaras dengan prinsip keadilan distributif ('adl) dalam ekonomi Islam. Sebaliknya, peningkatan RLS di wilayah industri berkorelasi dengan meningkatnya Gini Ratio akibat fenomena Skill-Based Technological Change (SBTC). Oleh karena itu, diperlukan penguatan pendidikan dan pelatihan vokasi, perluasan akses pendidikan, serta peningkatan produktivitas dan perlindungan pekerja informal untuk mendukung pemerataan pendapatan.