I'm guessing they only ever employ the minimum number of people they need to run things. And changing the minimum wage doesn't change how many people you need.
Its not like they're going to say "well with this wage increase we'll need to get rid of all the excess staff we kept around for no reason"
It's such a great example of what Picard is about, what makes him a great man, as well as being a great commentary on that inner human struggle we experience on both a personal and social level.