CANBERRA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Global economic volatility driven by U.S. tariffs is a factor in Australia's rising unemployment, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday.

Chalmers told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Friday that the volatility, unpredictability and uncertainty created by U.S. tariffs has become a "defining and an ongoing feature of the global economy" and that Australia is not immune.

He said that the federal government has received feedback from business leaders and economists that U.S. trade policy has affected local decisions on whether to hire workers or not.

"I think certainly people see this uncertainty and unpredictability as a new normal. That requires us to have a shift in our thinking," he said.

Official data released on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that Australia's unemployment rate rose from 4.1 percent in May to 4.3 percent in June, the highest figure since November 2021.

Chalmers said on Friday that the uptick in unemployment was unwelcome but unsurprising, with the government forecasting it will rise further but remain below 5 percent.

The treasurer was speaking from South Africa where he is attending the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings in Durban.

He said that there has "certainly" been a sense in bilateral discussions and larger meetings that the U.S. tariffs are unwarranted, unnecessary and an act of economic self-harm.■