But Rick Zimmerman, the area manager for contractor APAC-Kansas, told CNN that many of those jobs were not really "created, " just transferred from another project to the Osage River bridge.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Fox River Mills Inc. of Osage, Iowa, has six research and development employees who slide prototype socks onto a knee-high mannequin leg with pressure sensors installed that measure whether the fit is too tight.

WSJ: It Ain't Rocket Science, but Sock-Making Comes Close