at my place, there was a open post for a temporary lecturer (2 years). it is a quite prestigious university, and also social sciences. apparently there were 20 applications. apparently this is a high turnout for a temporary position.
i learned at a career workshop at my uni this week that in the hierarchy of post-PhD jobs the lecturer is the highest. the higher up in the hierarchy you go, the more people will be applying for fewer jobs. i suppose several of those applicants for 'your' lecturer post have several years of post-doc experience and loads of publications and teaching experience. i guess you have to be very lucky to land a lectureship right after your PhD. normally you'd first try for (teaching officer), research officer, research fellow/post doc on existing project, or, best of all, on your own project.