OTTAWA - A new report says recruitment efforts to get more women working in manufacturing will fail unless girls get the education and training needed for those jobs.

The report -- released today by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters -- says businesses are actively looking to recruit more women, but they find that few ever apply.

It calls on companies and governments to improve their efforts to encourage young girls to seek education in the skilled trades or science-based fields.

Women make up 48 per cent of the Canadian labour force, but women only hold 28 per cent of the jobs in the manufacturing sector.

The numbers are worse when it comes to the skilled trades, where the report says women account for just 4.5 per cent of workers.

Rhonda Barnet, who chairs the national board of directors at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, says it's a bit disturbing to see there has been no improvement in women in our labour force in 30 years.

But she says what is promising is that when women do enter the field, their job satisfaction is high and they would recommend it to someone else.