That may be what they tell the "Gun Writer", Truth is they are glad to be employed. My post was based on six years in that industry.
I've got to agree with Tom in most respects.
I've worked in manufacturing and engineering since my discharge from the miltary back in 1979. First was with GM because my father worked there. He did it for the money, though I'm sure he had pride in what he did, he NEVER drove a GM product. In my short stint in "Mundane" manufacturing, I was bored, overpaid and simply puting in the time to collect a pension. Thankfully they laid me off and forced me to do something else.
Since then, I've done what I had to do to feed and house the family because it was the right thing to do. To list everything I've done to make a living would be boring but suffice it to say, manufacturing in the USA is a dying industry and extremely unfullfilling unless your on the creative side of the business. The 1000 pound gorilla that is my main customer does 50 million dollars out of our facility and 240 million of the same machinery in China! That Gorrilla is General Electric and we are but a small part of their billions in sales annually.
It's great that those people in AR are working but I would bet the annual income in that state isn't anywhere near the national average! On that note, I would take a pay cut to actually be able to make money at the things I love to do......
Update, Arkansas is at the bottom of income ladder at #49, only Mississippi is lower! It's probably due to the Clinton Library 