[rz2k]

Sisyphus’ fate could be a punishment because of the effort, or because everything he does is undone each day. Bad jobs when people are young or have poor bargaining power often seem to involve a manager who is disconnected from profitability of the business telling their inferiors to continue doing something in an inefficient way.

I understand wanting to continue taking home a paycheck to support your family, but I don’t understand wanting to continue doing a job if there is a vastly less labor-intensive way to get the same output.

What you describe sounds like Sisyphus always finding out at the end of the day that he only reached a ridge partway to the top of the mountain. A typical menial job, where you do the same work every day without improving the process is more like the classic tale of the boulder rolling back down to the base of the mountain at the end of each day.

[joeybaker]

Fair point. Perhaps "perpetual" is a better word.