Social Transfer Programs and Child Labor in Indonesia

Siti Karimah, Koji Kawabata

2025 | Tesis | S2 Magister Ek.Pembangunan

Isu pekerja anak masih menjadi permasalahan global meskipun berbagai upaya penghapusan telah dilakukan. Di Indonesia, Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan meluncurkan Peta Jalan Menuju Indonesia Bebas Pekerja Anak Tahun 2022 dengan salah satu strategi utamanya berupa pemberian program transfer sosial kepada rumah tangga rentan. Namun, hingga tahun 2024, target tersebut belum sepenuhnya tercapai. Penelitian ini menganalisis pengaruh tiga program, Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH), Bantuan Pangan Non-Tunai (BPNT) dan Program Indonesia Pintar (PIP) terhadap empat indikator perkembangan anak, yaitu pekerja anak, kegiatan ekonomi, pekerjaan rumah tangga, dan partisipasi sekolah. Analisis ini menggunakan data pooled cross-sectional dari Survei Sosial Ekonomi Nasional (SUSENAS) Maret 2018–2024 dan berfokus pada tiga periode: sebelum, selama, dan setelah pandemi COVID-19. Untuk mengatasi potensi endogenitas dalam partisipasi program yang tidak bersifat acak, penelitian ini menggunakan model recursive bivariate probit. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebelum pandemi, PKH dan BPNT tidak memiliki pengaruh signifikan terhadap pekerja anak, kegiatan ekonomi, maupun pekerjaan rumah tangga, namun keduanya meningkatkan partisipasi sekolah. Sebaliknya, PIP telah efektif menurunkan pekerja anak dan kegiatan ekonomi sekaligus meningkatkan partisipasi sekolah, meskipun di sisi lain juga meningkatkan keterlibatan anak dalam pekerjaan rumah tangga. Selama pandemi, ketiga program tersebut mampu menurunkan pekerja anak dan kegiatan ekonomi serta meningkatkan partisipasi sekolah dan pekerjaan rumah tangga. Setelah pandemi, program-program tersebut mengurangi pekerja anak dan kegiatan ekonomi serta mendorong partisipasi sekolah, meskipun PKH dan PIP masih menunjukkan kecenderungan peningkatan keterlibatan anak dalam pekerjaan rumah tangga.

Child labor remains a persistent global issue despite various eradication efforts. In Indonesia, the Ministry of Manpower launched the Roadmap to a Child Labor-Free Indonesia by 2022, with one of the key strategies being the provision of social transfers to vulnerable households. However, by 2024, the target has yet to be fully achieved. This study analyzes the effect of three programs, Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH), Bantuan Pangan Non-Tunai (BPNT), and Program Indonesia Pintar (PIP) on four child development outcomes: child labor, economic activity, household chores, and schooling. Using pooled cross-sectional data from the 2018–2024 National Socio-Economic Survey (SUSENAS), the analysis focuses on condition before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the potential endogeneity of program participation, the study employs a recursive bivariate probit model. The findings indicate that before the pandemic, PKH and BPNT had no significant effect on child labor, economic activities, or household chores, but increased school participation. PIP was already effective in reducing child labor and economic activities while increasing school enrollment, although it was also associated with higher involvement in household chores. During the pandemic, all three programs reduced child labor and economic activities, and enhanced school participation and involvement in household chores. After the pandemic, the programs continued to reduce child labor and economic activities and to promote schooling. However, PKH and PIP were also associated with an increase in children’s participation in household chores.

Kata Kunci : child labor, social transfer programs, recursive bivariate probit, COVID-19 pandemic