Plotting a return course for academia: publications
If the material in your dissertation can be adapted into articles that are suitable to submit for publication, then by all means do this.  Having articles submitted is certainly better than not having any, and if you have to try again in a year, hopefully some of them will be accepted by then.

Since the work was carried out at your PhD institution, you should list it as your academic affiliation, even though you are no longer a student there.  (But it wouldn't be a problem even if you didn't have any affiliation; that's not a requirement to publish, though people often seem to mistakenly think that it is.)

As for whether your time outside of academia can be considered a positive, it is up to you to make that case in your cover letter and application materials.  Explain how this experience has enriched your skills and how it will contribute to your effectiveness in the position you are applying for.