Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has confirmed that the Coalition is considering a scheme which could deny the dole to people under 30.

Mr Abbott has told AM the Coalition wants to encourage people to take up jobs in areas where there are skills shortages, such as in the Western Australian mining sector.

The idea for the ban was first floated after Mr Abbott held discussions with industry leaders in Perth earlier this week.

"I had a very free-ranging discussion with people who were complaining bitterly about the difficulty of getting people to work," he said.

"I'm all in favour of a fair system but I'm also in favour of a system where people have a go, where people pull their weight, and we'll be making announcements in due course.

"There has got to be a system that encourages people to take up work where that work is available.

"I did notice my friend Warren Mundine suggesting some time ago that in areas where unskilled labour is in demand that the dole shouldn't be paid and I think that's the sort of measure that we should be debating in this country."

Opposition employment spokesman Eric Abetz has told ABC Newsradio that a ban on dole for the under-30s is one of a range of policy ideas being bounced around in the lead-up to the election and says reactions to the suggestion will be assessed by the Coalition.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the proposal is another example of the Coalition making policy "on the run".