PENGARUH OJEK ONLINE (OJOL) DALAM MEMBUKA LAPANGAN KERJA DAN MENEKAN ANGKA PENGANGGURAN DI PONOROGO

This study aims to analyze the effect of online motorcycle taxi (ojek online/ojol) services on employment opportunities and unemployment reduction in Ponorogo Regency, as well as to examine the role of employment opportunities as an intervening variable. This research employed a quantitative approach with a population of 240 online motorcycle taxi drivers and a sample of 150 respondents selected using the Slovin formula and purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, including validity testing, reliability testing, path analysis, t-test, F-test, and the coefficient of determination (R²).

The results indicate that all research instruments met the criteria of validity and reliability. The Online Motorcycle Taxi variable has a positive and significant effect on Employment Opportunities, with a path coefficient of 0.835, a t-value of 18.470, an F-value of 341.138, and an R² value of 0.697, indicating that Online Motorcycle Taxi services explain 69.7% of the variance in Employment Opportunities. Furthermore, Online Motorcycle Taxi services have a positive and significant effect on Unemployment Reduction, with a coefficient of 0.310, a t-value of 3.543, and a significance value of 0.001. Employment Opportunities also have a positive and significant effect on Unemployment Reduction, with a coefficient of 0.534, a t-value of 6.095, and a significance value of 0.000.

The path analysis results reveal that the indirect effect of Online Motorcycle Taxi services on Unemployment Reduction through Employment Opportunities is 0.446, which is greater than the direct effect of 0.310. This finding confirms that Employment Opportunities act as an intervening variable that strengthens the influence of Online Motorcycle Taxi services on Unemployment Reduction. Overall, the Online Motorcycle Taxi and Employment Opportunities variables explain 65.8% of the variance in Unemployment Reduction (R² = 0.658), while the remaining 34.2% is influenced by other factors outside the research model.

In conclusion, the presence of online motorcycle taxi services is more effective in reducing unemployment when they are able to create and expand employment opportunities for the community in Ponorogo Regency.

Keywords: Online Motorcycle Taxi (Ojol), Employment Opportunities, Unemployment Reduction.