The annual merit-based pay raises are barely above inflation.
At least in techincal services, merit-based bonuses are usually in the form of a $1,000 achievement award awarded once per year, which are subject to 25%-35% in taxes, depending on the employee's tax bracket.
Many engineering jobs require knowledge of specialized software and many years of experience, so they can be hard to obtain if the applicant did not previously work in the defense industry.
Exempt employees, which includes administrative, executive, and professional employees, do not receive overtime pay. They can work "extended time", instead. Extended time is paid at the regular hourly rate (as opposed to one and a half times the regular rate for overtime) and requires the manager's approval ahead of time.
Some employees become corporate drones and find a niche position where they attempt to become irreplaceable to their organization.
As with any large organization, there is a significant amount of bureaucracy that can cause simple tasks to take longer than expected.