Kantonales Sozialamt

What Kantonales Sozialamt does

The Kantonales Sozialamt (Cantonal Social Office) is a government administrative agency of Canton Zurich, Switzerland, operating under the Sicherheitsdirektion (Security Directorate). It coordinates, funds, and supervises social welfare services across the canton, sitting between the Swiss Confederation, other cantons, municipalities, and social organisations. The office directly delivers services in asylum welfare and partially in social assistance and disability, with staff of over 250 employees distributed across five cantonal locations and led by Amtschef Rainer Linsbauer.

Its service portfolio covers seven core programs: Sozialhilfe (social assistance), Familienzulagen (family allowances), Ergänzungsleistungen (supplementary benefits for AHV/IV recipients), Leben mit Behinderung (disability services), Asylfürsorge (asylum welfare), Rückkehrberatung (return counselling), and Überbrückungsleistungen (bridging benefits for older unemployed workers). Beyond direct service delivery, the office holds statutory coordination authority and funds a network of partner social organisations and facilities, including the Opferhilfe Zürich victim-assistance network.

The business model is non-commercial: the office is funded through cantonal government budget allocations and Confederation contributions, with services delivered free of charge to eligible residents of Canton Zurich. There is no proprietary technology, no AI capability, and no commercial go-to-market motion; distribution is via direct service at cantonal offices and through the coordinated municipality/social-organisation network.

Name

Kantonales Sozialamt

Legal name

Kantonales Sozialamt des Kantons Zürich

Website

https://sozialamt.zh.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Kantonales Sozialamt is the cantonal social welfare office of Canton Zurich, Switzerland. With 250+ staff at five locations, it coordinates and delivers social assistance, asylum welfare, disability services, family allowances, and related benefits to residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Human Services & Benefits Administration (Welfare, Disability, Child & Family) (BPAIABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Child Benefits Administration (Child Allowance, Parental Leave) (BPAIAKAD), Social Care & Long-Term Care Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAK), Healthcare-Linked Social Benefits Administration (e.g., Medicaid/Means-Tested Health Coverage) (BPAIAKAH)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Family allowance administration
• Supplementary benefits management
• Asylum services
• Disability support

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The office is funded through cantonal government budgets. It manages, coordinates, and distributes social welfare funding between the Confederation, other cantons, municipalities, and social organisations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Kantonales Sozialamt is the cantonal social welfare authority of Canton Zurich, Switzerland, administering statutory social assistance, family allowances, supplementary benefits, and disability support. It also coordinates asylum services, return counseling, and bridging benefits for vulnerable populations. The office operates as part of the cantonal Security Directorate and serves residents and qualifying individuals within Canton Zurich through more than 250 employees at five regional locations.

Product overview

Kantonales Sozialamt is a government administrative office providing social services to residents of Canton Zurich. The office offers a range of social welfare programs including social assistance, family allowances, supplementary benefits for AHV/IV recipients, disability support services, asylum services, return counseling, and bridging benefits for older unemployed workers. With over 250 employees across five locations, the office coordinates between the federal government, other cantons, municipalities, and social organizations. It is part of the Security Directorate (Sicherheitsdirektion) of Canton Zurich.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Assistance (Sozialhilfe)
• Family Allowances (Familienzulagen)
• Supplementary Benefits (Zusatzleistungen)
• Disability Services (Behinderte)
• Asylum Services (Asyl)
• Return Counseling (Rückkehrberatung)

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss Confederation (Bund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe office coordinates social welfare funding and policy with the Swiss Confederation, particularly in the areas of social insurance and asylum welfare, which involve shared financial and regulatory responsibilities.
• Other CantonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-cantonal coordination on social welfare matters, especially for asylum welfare and social assistance where cross-cantonal movement of individuals requires shared approaches.
• Municipalities of Canton ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipalities are key partners in delivering social assistance at the local level. The office coordinates, funds, and supervises the municipal social welfare network.
• Social Organisations in Canton ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe office funds, coordinates, and supervises social organisations and facilities including disability services, social institutions, and asylum welfare facilities.
• Strassenverkehrsamt (Road Traffic Office)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth organisations fall under the Sicherheitsdirektion (Security Directorate) and share administrative and digital infrastructure.
• Opferhilfe Zürich (Victim Assistance Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Opferhilfe Zürich network consists of the Kantonale Opferhilfestelle, eight recognised counselling centres, three women's shelters, and the FIZ (centre for women, migration, and anti-trafficking). The Kantonales Sozialamt (via Sicherheitsdirektion) funds and supervises these services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sozialamt Kanton Aargau: Aargau's cantonal social office providing Sozialhilfe, Ergänzungsleistungen, and Asylfürsorge under the same Swiss federal-cantonal legal framework. Direct functional equivalent.
• Sozialamt Kanton Bern: Cantonal social office of Canton Bern with an analogous mandate to coordinate social welfare, social insurance, asylum care, and disability services. It is the closest structural counterpart to the Kantonales Sozialamt Zürich, operating the same statutory role within a different Swiss canton.
• Sozialamt Kanton St. Gallen: Cantonal social office of St. Gallen managing social welfare, disability services, and asylum welfare with the same statutory coordination responsibilities. Comparable in scope and delivery model.
• Sozialamt Kanton Luzern: Luzern's cantonal social office with the same tripartite role of coordination, funding, and direct service delivery in social welfare and asylum. Comparable operating model and statutory authority.
• Sozialamt Kanton Basel-Stadt: Cantonal social office of Basel-Stadt delivering social assistance, family allowances, and asylum-related services to city-canton residents. It mirrors Zurich's role at a smaller scale and competes for inter-cantonal coordination attention.

Others

• Pro Senectute Kanton Zürich: Leading nonprofit providing services for older adults in Canton Zurich. Funded and partly supervised by the Kantonales Sozialamt, it is a key downstream implementing partner rather than a peer competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen (BSV): Federal office overseeing social insurance in Switzerland. The Zurich cantonal social office administers cantonal-level implementation of federal benefit frameworks such as Ergänzungsleistungen, making BSV the upstream policy authority.
• Staatssekretariat für Migration (SEM): Federal Swiss authority for asylum and migration policy. The Kantonales Sozialamt coordinates Asylfürsorge with SEM, making SEM the overarching policy counterpart rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kantonzuerich
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kantonzuerich
• Facebookfacebook.com/kantonzuerich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kantonales-sozialamt
• Instagraminstagram.com/kantonzuerich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kantonales Sozialamt