It’s no secret the pandemic has changed the landscape for employers across the country. Unemployment rates were the highest since the Great Depression.

“My personal mission is to change the world for one person at a time,” said Jordan Modiano, who owns Express Employment Professionals of Albany and Saratoga.

Modiano says there are jobs available.

“There is a ton of work. We’ve got companies all over the place that are looking for people,” he said.

The staffing agency has been busy working, particularly with employers in the areas of industrial work, warehousing, delivery, and trucking.

“One of our biggest competitors is the government,” he said. “Unemployment plays a huge role in keeping people from working.”

Modiano is encouraging job seekers to be honest when it comes to their resumes and applications. A gap in employment due to the pandemic is not a bad thing.

“It’s one thing to leave something out. It’s another thing to falsify information,” he said. “If you falsify information, we’re going to find out and it’s going to blow your chances.”

Giulianna Matos is from Lake Placid and had fallen on hard times prior to the pandemic.

“I was walking around looking for a job since I moved here,” she said. “I don’t drive, so I had my dad bringing me to different places.”

She says finding a job was challenging because most employers abandoned their traditional in-person interview process.

“I walked by this office and thought, 'Oh, my goodness, these people can help me find a job.'”

It turns out, Matos was a perfect fit for an open position in Modiano's Wilton office, and is now helping others start a new chapter.

“Just don’t ever get down on your luck. Keep trying,” she said. “Something will come up.”