Kiwi beneficiaries with children will be compelled to look for work as soon as changes to New Zealand's welfare are introduced in March.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced on Monday that the first stage of National's welfare reforms will get underway next month, Dominion Post reported.

The soon-to-be introduced laws would require DPB-covered sole parents who have children aged 5 and above to get at least a part-time job.

Those whose children are 14 or older will be required to look for full-time work.

Sole parents on a benefit who have additional children will be required to work part-time when their baby has turned one.

The same requirements will also apply to those on the Widow's and Women Alone benefits and partners of beneficiaries with children.

Changes will also apply on unemployed youth and teen parents, and the reforms will also be included in next month's reform introduction.

The Government announced its youth welfare policy last August and its wider welfare reform programme overhauling benefit types during last year's election campaign.

Prime Minister John Key said on Monday morning 13 per cent of the working age population, or 350,000 New Zealanders supporting 220,000 children, were on some type of benefit, and it costs the NZ government $20 million a day, or $8 billion a year.

''The emphasis has got to be if you can work, (then) you should work and people should make themselves available to work,'' he told TVNZ's Breakfast program.

Meanwhile, Labour leader David Shearer said he agreed those who could work should, but noted opportunities are scarce for the unemployed who lacked training.

He said training opportunities should be made available to people before they are asked to look for work.