(Sponsored Content – ) Ride-hailing drivers report they have given up other gig work for Uber, owing to the host of benefits they get, such as higher pay, scheduling flexibility, and increased family time.

Flexibility is key for drivers like Morsi Mansour, who works part time for Uber.

"When I get tired or sick, I can stop working – when I am busy with something else, I can ... stop working. When I need to do something else, I can just do it. I can just come off the application and do what I want to do, and then I can open it again and start working again. So that looks pretty good. It's a good thing about Uber," Mansour said.

For many independent contractors and freelance workers, the feeling of directing one's own life and achieving a work-life balance is what draws them to gig work.

"Independent gig workers (such as online platform workers and independent contractors) experience high levels of work-life balance, flexibility, autonomy, meaningful feedback and creative freedom. In fact, they score much higher on all these factors compared with traditional workers and other types of gig workers," the 2018 Gallup poll states. 

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 due to having a flexible schedule in working the days and hours of their choosing. More than 70% of the freelancers also reported that they appreciate how freelancing allows them to work from the place of their choice.

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 36% of U.S. workers were doing gig work in some capacity. Gallup also reported that 64% of gig workers said they preferred their alternative work arrangement.