The cities where college pays off fastest, entry-level jobs are under threat, and more top insights

During the week, the Daily Rundown brings you the day’s trending professional news. On the weekend, we try to keep you current on the big ideas that can help you see what’s coming. Read on and join the conversation.

The demise of the entry-level job? As a growing share of industries embrace automation, some 14.7 million workers under 34 years old face job displacement by 2030, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Many of the positions that have historically served as a first entry to the working world — jobs in retail and food service — are especially vulnerable, potentially depriving young people from gaining essential soft skills derived from such entry-level work. What can stand in its place? Companies could embrace apprenticeships, investing in new hires by teaching them higher level skills at the outset, McKinsey suggests. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

China trade tensions send companies packing… to Vietnam: As the U.S. and China engage in an ongoing dispute over tariffs, multinationals are decamping for calmer economic waters, shifting their operations away from China and toward Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia, Axios reports. The moves began with apparel firms like Hanes and Nike, but tech firms are now looking to join the exodus, with HP, Dell and Amazon seeking China exit strategies. There’s a hitch, though: Nations like Vietnam may not have the talent — or the infrastructure — these companies need, potentially triggering painful labor shortages for these firms. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

The cities where college pays off fastest

No matter where you live in the U.S., college tends to pay off for most, according to the New York Federal Reserve. But some cities offer grads faster payoffs than others, Bloomberg reports. In San Jose, Calif., someone with a four-year bachelor’s degree would need to work just 2.9 years to catch up in earnings to someone with a high school degree who worked during that time. While in Logan, Utah, you’d need 85 years to break even. Such findings highlight the divergent trends in economic mobility across the U.S. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Preventing paralysis, with the help of nanoparticles: Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed nanoparticles that, when injected into a person who has suffered a spinal cord injury, could prevent paralysis. The nanoparticles, which are made from a biodegradable polymer, keep the body’s immune system from bypassing the blood-brain barrier and rushing to the site of a spinal injury, destroying nerve cells and causing paralysis. Emergency medical teams could administer this injection to patients immediately after an injury, via a device similar to an EpiPen. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Dogs join battle against cancer: Over the past 10 years, at least 10 new cancer drugs have been developed with the help of canine oncology studies, Wired reports. A new study involving some 800 pups may even lead the way to a cancer vaccine. Why dogs? They develop similar cancers to humans, for one. Also, their life spans are shorter than humans, giving researchers a condensed time frame to study cancer’s progression. And, more than most other animals, dogs share our environments, indoors and outdoors. How they develop cancer may be similar to humans. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

One last idea:  In just about any group effort, conflict is all but inevitable. Even though a tense situation may feel hopeless in the moment, author Tim Desmond reminds us that the odds of getting to be a better place through discussion are much greater than we often assume.  

“The defining feature of dialogue is that (at its best) everyone is on the same side. We are all trying to figure out how to meet the most needs we can. It’s hard and it doesn’t always work, but there’s a lot more room to improve than most people believe is possible.”

Want to get ahead at work? Looking for advice from the pros? Share your burning career questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll get experts to weigh in.

— Scott Olster and Weng Cheong