While some employers are taking a closer look at their expatriate workforce because of the global economic slow down, many have no plans to change either the number of workers they send overseas or the expats’ compensation packages.

Just under half (47%) of companies surveyed by Sibson Consulting are not making any changes to the size of their expatriate workforce, while just over one-third (35%) are decreasing their number of expatriates, according to the firm’s 2009 Expatriate Talent Market Trends Survey. Almost one-fifth (18%) of organizations are increasing their expat workforce.

Among those decreasing their expat workforces, high compensation costs and the overall economic environment were the two main reasons for doing so. The majority (67%) of companies, however, are not making any changes to their expatriate compensation packages. Just over one-quarter (26%) have plans to decrease expat compensation packages.

Just over half (51%) of all respondents report their organizations intend to increase their investments in local talent. Among the respondents who report their companies recently decreased the compensation of their expat talent or are planning to do so in the short term, 76% say they plan to increase their investment in local talent.

Industry knowledge, leadership ability and technical skills, meanwhile, are the top three skills companies are looking for in people they send overseas. “As the global economy continues to strengthen, companies will need to ensure that their approach to managing their expatriate workforce is aligned with their strategic business objectives,” concludes the author of the survey’s brief.