California saw job growth in eight categories, including construction, manufacturing and educational and health services. The area of professional and business services posted the biggest gains, adding 14,800 jobs.
The state Employment Development Department reported job losses in mining and logging, information and financial activities. The largest declines were in the financial industry, which lost 4,300 jobs.
The number of unemployed people in the state dropped by 10,000 between September and October to about 2.25 million.
New claims for unemployment insurance fell from about 75,000 in September to 67,000 in October.
The state's unemployment rate has now held at or above 12 percent for 15 months.
"California continues to experience a slow recovery," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement, noting he was pleased state voters had upheld vital employment incentives on the November ballot.
The 12.4 percent unemployment rate is up two-tenths of a percent from October 2009. The state has experienced a net loss of 27,400 jobs over that period, with the largest decline in the construction sector.
The state's unemployment rate continues to be higher than the national average, which also held steady at 9.6 percent in October.
