While Asia continues to set pace as the world’s fastest growing region, some Asian middle-income countries (MICs) are showing signs of economic slowdown and face stiff competition from lower-cost economies. The implications that could result from this economic growth slowdown in MICs are of serious concern to economists and political decision-makers. The threat of the “middle-income trap” (MIT) looms over Asian MICs such as Thailand and Malaysia, the two countries profiled in this research initiative.