Driving with Uber, and working other app-based gig work, is a job that allows for convenience to the contracted independent worker.

An Uber driver from Central New Jersey shares the convenience of what his schedule looks like.

"I generally do nights and weekends ... because I don't want to interfere with my main gig and also sitting in traffic is really terrible for a rideshare driver," David Mountain said. "I prefer nights and weekends because I’m more likely to just be moving all the time, not stuck in traffic have options to go through things, etc." 

While he does his Uber driving gig generally during nights and weekends because he's least likely to have a contracting client for his main consulting business need him during those periods, he is not too concerned about his safety. Mountain said he appreciates the flexibility of working on his own time.

"I also don't feel unsafe doing this because it's a cashless gig," Mountain said. "If I go into a rough neighborhood my only concern is the roads usually aren't good just in terms of potholes. Not usually concerned that someone's going to look at a hybrid hatchback and say, ‘Boy that's the car I really need to steal.’"

A recent report by The Hamilton Project stated that as the post-Great Recession market continues to recover, on-demand gig work benefits workers and the economy by supporting job growth and personal income. The authors of the report pointed out that the gig economy offers flexibility, minimal training costs, and low barriers to enter the workforce, allowing workers to supplement their incomes as needed or to create an income for themselves. Likewise, the report stated that customers benefit from services offered by gig workers and the low costs associated with them.

According to the "Freelancing in America: 2019" survey taken of 6,000 U.S. freelance gig workers, 39% of full-time freelance workers changed to gig work following a major life event.

A report, Gallup’s Perspective on The Gig Economy and Alternative Work Arrangements (2018), estimated that the number of gig workers had risen to 36% of the U.S. workforce or about 59 million Americans. The same Gallup report estimates that 29% of all U.S. workers are doing gig work as their primary job.