You are right in general principle. Relocation to places that make more sense in terms of employment prospects & cost of living is rational and probably efficie

You are right in general principle. Relocation to places that make more sense in terms of employment prospects & cost of living is rational and probably efficient. We shouldn't be preventing it. However, there is a big difference between moving someplace with better prospects in a planned and controlled way and being driven there by crisis. The latter would most likely see the woman in the article move to a cheaper place within 1-2 hours of here current home. This means she would be disconnected from the people she knows and less likely to find employment for both psychological reasons like disempowerment (many of the individual reasons for unemployment are here) and practical reasons (jobs often come from people you know). It is the difference between losing your old life and "ending up" somewhere & going somewhere where the prospects are good.