Could you give an example of this - a society with a dictatorship that endeavors to give people artificial work?
Not sure if this counts but this image of a soldier mopping in the rain comes to mind.
They all disliked unemployed people and often forced them into work or in the military, loathed artists and writers that were able to work independently. They glorified "work for work's sake".
Created work artificially through gargantuan public works, bureaucracy and... war - the ultimate instrument to keep people busy and give them a common purpose.