The low willingness of coal mine employees to work underground has become a significant cause of structural underemployment in coal mines at the micro level. Utilizing the DEMATEL-ISM method and incorporating Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, this study analyzes the factors affecting coal mine employees' willingness to work underground from five dimensions of needs: physiological, safety, social belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. By constructing an influence matrix through expert scoring, the study examines the impact degree, influenced degree, centrality, and causality of each factor, deriving the hierarchical structure of influencing factors. The results indicate that employees' willingness to work underground is influenced by twelve factors, which can be categorized into a three-tier hierarchical model. Limited career prospects emerge as the core influencing factor, while low or unfair underground treatment is not an absolute determinant. Coal mine enterprises need to gain a deeper understanding of employee needs, focusing more on the underground work experience, job satisfaction, and career development of their employees. This focus is crucial for improving the willingness of employees to work underground from a micro perspective.