Sponsored Content – Many Uber drivers and other gig workers cite flexibility as a huge incentive for participating in the gig economy.

Chicago Uber driver Dwayne Bell said that he appreciates the flexibility of driving for Uber because he can take time off whenever he needs to. 

"I like the flexibility because life happens," Bell told Illinois Business Daily. "Sometimes I may need to just do something else that has nothing to do with Ubering. Just taking care of other business, you know? And so I don't have to call off and I don't have to be penalized for taking time off other than the loss of earnings. But to me, that's something that I can accommodate. The flexibility works out for me really well."

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

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, 49% of current or recent gig workers cited flexibility as a major reason for participating in the gig economy. Approximately 52% cited the need to cover a change or gap in income, while 56% reported that "wanting to save up extra money" was a major factor in choosing to do gig work. Other top reasons included "wanting to be their own boss," working for fun or as a hobby and not having many job opportunities available in their area.

The number of customers who use Uber increased from 93 million in 2020 to 118 million in 2021, according to Business of Apps. Uber drivers completed more than 6 billion trips in 2021, for an average of more than 17 million trips per day. More than 5 million people across the globe worked as Uber drivers in 2021.