Every business in my town, Fort Walton Beach FL, has a help wanted sign in the window. They might not like that an applicant has an 18 month gap in their resume, but if they need employees then that's who they're going to have to hire.
It's a job seeker's market right now. Any business owner that seeks to punish a potential employee for having a gap in employment is going to find themselves out of business soon. Beggars can't be choosers.
Not for long. Same with the grifters who took advantage of the illegal eviction moratorium. The landlord community is not going to rent to anyone who can't prove they paid rent for the last 18 months.