Inequality Factors and Trend in the Earnings of Self-Employed

자영업 근로소득의 불평등 요인과 변화

  • Ji, Eun-Jeong (Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the aged)
  • Received : 2011.12.05
  • Accepted : 2012.01.13
  • Published : 2012.05.31

Abstract

Self-employment rate is high in Korean labor market, while the income gap within self-employed is also high. Although, there are very few studies that addressed on the income inequality of self-employed. Thus, this study has measured the earnings inequality of self-employed by generalized entropy indices and decomposed inequality factor and trend. The empirical study is based on Korea Welfare Panel Study wave 1~4. The main result from this analysis is summarized in three points. Firstly, earnings inequality of self-employed is severely high and the earnings polarization within self-employed has become more serious in Korea. Secondly, this study provides the evidence that the main factor of earnings inequality of self-employed is the status of self-employment, education level, age group, workplace scale and industry. Thirdly, the contribution of relative changes in the incomes of the status of self-employment is the largest to the inequality trend. In terms of education level, age group and industry, the increase of inequality within group(pure effect) mainly attributes to the rise of earnings inequality of self-employed and the change effect of group composition contributes to deterioration of inequality.

우리나라 노동시장에서 자영업이 차지하는 비중이 크지만, 자영업내 소득격차도 크다. 그럼에도 아직까지 자영업 소득불평등에 초점을 맞춘 연구가 많지 않다. 이에 본 연구는 한국복지패널 1~4차 자료를 통해, 일반화된 엔트로피지수로 자영업 소득불평등을 측정하고 불평등 요인과 추세를 분해하였다. 분석결과, 첫째, 우리나라 자영업 근로소득 불평등은 매우 높으며, 자영업내 소득양극화가 심각해지고 있었다. 둘째, 자영업 근로소득 불평등의 주된 요인은 고용형태, 교육수준, 연령집단, 사업체규모 그리고 산업으로 나타났다. 셋째, 고용형태에 따른 고용주와 자영자 집단의 상대소득변화효과가 불평 등 증가에 기여하는 정도가 가장 크다. 교육수준과 연령집단, 사업체 규모에 따른 불평등 증가는 집단 내 불평등(순효과) 증가의 기여도가 가장 크고, 집단구성의 변화효과도 불평등 악화에 기여한 것으로 나타났다.

Keywords