President Ma ying-jeou said Saturday that economic development can help bridge the wealth gap between rich and poor. Speaking during a visit to a home for the mentally challenged in Taipei County, the president said that when the economy is in decline, the wealth gap widens, but when the economy develops, the improvements are reflected in the job market and household incomes. 'There are various ways to address the widening gap. First and foremost is to develop the economy and increase job opportunities to raise income levels,' Ma said. His remarks came in the wake of a recent government survey showing that Taiwan's household income gap widened in 2009, with the average annual disposable income of the richest 20 percent of families reaching 6.34 times that of the poorest, the second-widest gap since 2001, when the average income of the richest was 6.39 times that of the poorest. Ma noted that Taiwan's economic growth in the first quarter was adjusted upward to 13.71 percent from the original estimate of 13.27 percent, and that the figure was 12.5 percent in the second quarter, both of which are high growth rates that have rarely been seen in recent years. Meanwhile, on a separate occasion that same day, Premier Wu Den-yih said that although the economy has obviously taken a turn for the better, the widening wealth gap is still a cause for concern. Making the comments on the sidelines of a job fair at the Tainan branch of the Southern Taiwan Science Park in which 47 companies were offering more than 9,000 jobs, Wu said the revenue of the Southern Taiwan Science Park in the first half of the year grew by 59.1 percent from the same period of last year, while the number of employees increased by more than 6,000 from the year-earlier level. The economy has definitely rebounded, with many firms working overtime, he said. But he lamented that the widening wealth shows that many people are still unable to enjoy the fruits of the economic growth. He urged the firms to work harder with the government to address the issue, saying that 'as long as the gap is not bridged, the government cannot feel at ease. ' 