Why home prices are skyrocketing, bringing workers back to America’s heartland, 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.

Around the world, the rent is too darn high: Real home prices in 32 major global cities grew 24% over the past five years, while average real income rose only 8% in the same period, according to The Wall Street Journal. Cities have gained market appeal in recent years, as downtown areas have picked up economic steam. And an influx of foreign and domestic real estate investors looking for second homes has driven up prices. Meanwhile, developers have largely focused on upscale buyers, leaving a dearth of affordable options. ? Here’s what people are saying.

America’s heartland is running out of workers: By 2037, 67% of America’s counties will have fewer prime age workers than they did in 1997, according to a new report from the Economic Innovation Group. And these declines — which are expected to hit small cities and rural areas harder than larger coastal cities — are poised to hamper economic growth, reports The New York Times’ Neil Irwin. One option that might help, according to the EIG report: Offering “heartland visas” to skilled immigrants, who would commit to work in a struggling area in exchange for a path to permanent residence. ? Here’s what people are saying.

AI is starting to get emotional: Researchers at Case Western have developed robots that can identify emotions by analyzing facial expressions in real time with a 98% accuracy rate. Previous generations of such bots could only get an emotional read on people after a noticeable delay. The researchers trained the robots to identify the emotions conveyed in 3,500 variations of human facial expressions. Such robots could help detect symptoms of depression or assist those with autism recognize others’ emotions. ? Here’s what people are saying.

An old school twist on recruiting: Many tech giants woo job candidates with lavish offices and perks. But Oracle, which ranked No. 9 on LinkedIn’s U.S. Top Companies list, takes a decidedly different approach, writes LinkedIn’s George Anders. Taking a page out of the 1960s corporate playbook, the company recruits thousands of recent college grads and steers them into a year-long training program that sprinkles dorm-style fun into an extensive boot camp for salespeople. Social norms include team applause when newcomers make their first sales lead pay off. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Shape shifting airplane wings: NASA and MIT researchers have developed a flexible plane wing that can transform mid-flight. It’s made up of hundreds of identical triangular pieces covered by a thin polymer, making it more energy efficient and easier to maintain. Currently, plane wing designs are a geometrical compromise of the optimal shapes for takeoff, cruising and landing. But the researchers claim the new shape-shifting wing delivers efficiency at all stages of flight. Such tech could be applied to wind turbines, space travel and city infrastructure. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea:  Many of us avoid asking others for help out of fear that we may seem bothersome or even incapable. But executive coach and psychologist Judith Sherven reminds us that, in many cases, asking others for assistance is more of an honor than we realize.

“Asking for help can be a precious gift. When we let our vulnerability show, we provide others with a more intimate glimpse into who we are.”

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, Ruiqi Chen, and Jasmine Teng