Labor says the plan has been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office and will not hit the budget bottom line because it will be offset by existing training subsidies being scrapped.

"What we've got to do is to make sure these kids aren't put in the too-hard basket and fobbed off with some 7-Eleven wage system," Mr Shorten said, launching the plan in Hobart.

Although he couldn't guarantee the young workers would be kept on beyond the six months by employers, they would have "six months of work on their CV", he said. There were many young people from poor areas for whom "six months on their CV doesn't exist".

"The hardest day of work for most young people is their first and second days of work. Once they get into the stream of getting up in the morning, going to work, doing a shift, it creates a sense of pride and self-respect, which is life-changing."

A single person on Newstart, which is the dole for people aged 22 and above, currently receives up to $527.60 per fortnight on the Newstart allowance.