The Turnbull government has been spruiking the nation's strong employment growth over the past year to support its economic credentials, but voters are yet to be convinced.

The first Sky News / ReachTel poll of the year showed the government still lagging behind Labor after only a modest improvement.

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The coalition's primary vote rose one point to 34 per cent while the opposition held steady at 36 per cent.

The two-party preferred vote narrowed slightly to 52 per cent for Labor versus 48 per cent for the government.

However, Malcolm Turnbull remains preferred prime minister, rising two points to 54 per cent compared will opposition leader Bill Shorten declining two points to 46 per cent.

The government's big push this year will be to get the remainder of its business tax cuts through the parliament, but the poll found only 32 per cent of voters back such action compared with 44 per cent who oppose them.

Almost a quarter of those surveyed are undecided on whether large business should see their tax rate cut to 25 per cent from 30 per cent.