Sponsored Content-- New Jersey gig driver Clayton Creamer identified two benefits of driving: determining how much money he can make and setting his own schedule. 

Many drivers and other gig workers cite money and flexibility as two of the main pluses of gig work.

"Driving for Uber as an independent contractor is an exceptional opportunity in terms of both income potential, where I determine how much or how little I can earn, and equally important is the flexibility that it offers in terms of specific times, days and duration of work," Uber driver Clayton Creamer told New Jersey Business Daily on October 25, 2021. 

A 2021 study from Harvard Business School showed that 76% of the 808 respondents to the survey claimed flexibility was extremely important to them, while 69% highly valued the opportunity to bring in extra income. 10% of respondents said that losing flexibility would be the equivalent of taking a 15% pay cut.

An MBO Partners report revealed that 59% of male gig workers and 74% of female freelancers like working independently because of the flexibility this type of work offers. Freelance statistics also demonstrate that the majority of independent workers try to stay independent, showing 54% of men and 43% of women earn more money working as freelancers. 

In the "Freelancing in America: 2019" survey of 6,000 U.S. workers, 79% of full-time and 76% of part-time freelance workers said they joined the flexible workforce environment out of a desire for a flexible schedule and the ability to choose what days and hours they work. 

The number of customers who utilize Uber surged from 93 million in 2020 to 118 million in 2021, a recent Business of Apps report said. Uber drivers made over 6 billion trips in 2021, an average of more than 17 million trips each day.

In 2021, more than 5 million people around the world worked as Uber drivers.