He said: “We have just come out of the equivalent of a world war. We need to rebuild the economy and grow again.”
Mr Zahawi said the government should be cautious about wage increases in the public sector as he warned that inflation could rise.
The comments suggest he is taking a firm stance on wage negotiations as unions threaten a “summer of discontent”.
Britons are facing a new wave of strikes at the railways, as well as strikes at other major organisations, including Royal Mail, as wages lag behind rising prices.
The chancellor added: “The most important thing is to get inflation under control and be fiscally responsible.”
Mr Zahawi was appointed after Mr Sunak resigned in protest at Boris Johnson’s “standards” and disagreements over economic policy.