TOKYO, May 13, 2008 -- High-level labor officials from the Group of Eight member states agreed Tuesday to support disadvantaged labor forces and under-developed regions with adjusted policies on employment and labor markets.

According to a statement adopted at the conclusion of the G8 Labor and Employment Ministers Meeting, participants agreed that as globalization, which brought about wealth and better lives to some countries, also entailed income gaps and increasing instabilities among workforce in others, it's necessary to revise employment and labor markets policies in order to support "working poors" and other socially vulnerable people.

"Working poors" refer to people who have jobs but earn less than the ensured minimum living costs, a phenomenon regarded as a negative effect of the globalization.

The officials admitted the necessity to strengthen the mechanism which regulates supply and demand in the labor market, create work opportunities and provide assistance to those with desire to work, and revise comprehension on the importance of ensuring self-development of capabilities to all.

The statement called for introducing effective career consulting and skills development for the vulnerable who fail to benefit from globalization.

Participants also reached common grounds on the importance of coordinating works and private lives as well as ensuring security, healthcare and stable lives after retirement for employees.

However, during the three-day meeting, participants had insufficient discussions over the issue of wealth gap, one of the major challenges to the world development, and failed to map out tangible policies to address the issue as G8 member states have various definition of "working poors" and diversified comprehension on irregular employment, analysts said.

The meeting, held in central Japan's Niigata city, was one of the ministerial meetings prior to the G8 summit slated for early July in northern Japan's Hokkaido Prefecture.

Those attended the meeting also included labor officials from the European Union and heads of the International Labor Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The G8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.