Peran Tenaga Kerja dalam Memediasi Pengaruh Upah, Investasi, Pendidikan dan Kesehatan terhadap Produk Domestik Regional Bruto di Indonesia

Abstract

Equitable and sustainable economic growth constitutes a key agenda in Indonesia’s development, particularly through the strengthening of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP). Labor is a primary factor of production that is assumed to play a mediating role in transmitting the influence of various economic determinants on regional performance. This study aims to analyze the role of labor (labor productivity) in mediating the effects of wages, domestic investment (PMDN), education, and health on GRDP across 34 provinces in Indonesia during the period 2014–2023. The analysis employs panel data using a path analysis regression approach, with mediation testing conducted using the Sobel Test. The results indicate that wages, education, health, and investment have a significant direct effect on GRDP, while the effects of these variables on labor productivity vary in terms of statistical significance. Indirectly, only wages and education are proven to have a significant effect on GRDP through labor productivity as a mediating variable, whereas investment and health do not demonstrate a significant mediating effect. These findings emphasize that improving labor quality and participation represents an important pathway in transmitting the economic impacts of wage and education policies, while the effects of investment and health operate more dominantly through direct mechanisms on economic output. This study contributes to the strengthening of the human capital–based development literature and provides more targeted policy directions for promoting inclusive and sustainable regional economic growth.